Sedation Dentistry, a Bad Case of Gum Disease and a Happy Family
A 42 year old male patient, let’s call him “Bob”, presented to the office last month. Bob’s main complaint was he was afraid to kiss his wife because of his bad breath. “Our sex life is suffering because of it and my kids have been avoiding me.”
After spending time getting to know Bob, he disclosed that he hadn’t been to a dentist since he was a teenager. “I had gone for bleeding gums, was traumatized and hadn’t been back since”. Bob allowed us to examine him and take basic X-rays. Heavy calculus (tartar) and bleeding gums were visible. All the signs and symptoms of gum disease were present.
We let Bob know that he was a perfect candidate for dental sedation. All his gum treatments, the extraction of 2 hopeless teeth and a few fillings could all be done in one visit with sedation. He was scheduled for his sedation visit the next week and in over 3 hours, all his treatment was completed.
But the best part was when Bob returned for a 2 week follow-up. Happy and smiling in the welcome area, he called out to me “My mouth hasn’t felt this good in years and my family loves what you did for me.”