Dr. Harpreet Dhaliwal is likely the most caring dentist Staten Island has seen in years. She establishes a strong bond with her patients, and genuinely cares for their comfort, as well as taking care of any issues or anxieties they may feel. In her experience, Dr. Dhaliwal observes that one of the biggest worries amongst her many patients is being sedated, or “put to sleep” temporarily for a procedure. Patients tend to worry about not waking up, or something going wrong, and not being able to do anything about it. One of the oldest issues of giving up control.
Dr. Dhaliwal or Dr. D , as many of her patients call her, uses a variety of techniques to sedate a patient.
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Laughing Gas: Nitrous oxide, more commonly known as laughing gas, is often used to relax patients during dental procedures. This a relatively mid form of sedation as Dr. Dhaliwal allows her patients to drive home on their own after the procedure. You will be totally awake for the procedure yet may not be able to remember a thing.
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Oral Sedation: Also known as conscious sedation. Patients take a sedative prior to the procedure, given on a set regimen. Either one the day of or the night before or both. This sedation also keeps patients awake but relaxes you to the point that you may not remember a thing that happened. You’ll be quite sleepy hours after the procedure, so Dr. D recommends getting a ride home.
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IV Sedation: This is done in two forms. The first is a mild form where you are conscious yet very sleepy and may mot remember a thing about the procedure. The second form is general anesthesia, for those who need significant oral surgery. You are completely put to sleep, this is generally the type of sedation most patients fear the most as they are completely asleep and will have 0 recollection or ability to function during the procedure.
Despite the fear associated with being put to sleep or dental visits in general, Dr. Dhaliwal actually feels sedation works to her, as well as other dentists, advantage! Many patients fear dental procedures, from root canals to simple tooth extractions, most people are on the verge of an anxiety attack when seeing the giant needle! Therefore, by using a sedative, or anesthesia, Dr. Dhaliwal is able to keep her patients fears from affecting the outcome of the dental procedure. If you’d like to try out some of the best dental care Staten Island has to offer, contact Dr. Dhaliwal and the staff at Smiles Forever Dentistry.
