The powerful thing that happens when you use conscious sedation

Dianne Wilken has been a patient of Dr. McVey's for over 30 years. She has dental anxiety, but she's worked out a plan with the doctor to make her appointments easier. Part of her plan included a service we offer called conscious sedation. Read on to learn how conscious sedation dentistry helped her.

*To watch the video on Youtube, visit the link here.

Dr. McVey Presents: Patient Stories

Dianne

Name's Diane Wilkin. I'm from Garden City. I've been a patient with Randy McVey since about '86, '87. In there.

This is the story of Dianne Wilken…

Dianne

Yeah, very hard for me. And the [dental] anxiety before the dentist, I could…I could almost make myself sick getting ready to come in. 

Not only was she afraid of the dentist, but she also hated the way her teeth looked.

Dianne

When my adult teeth came in, they were pitted. One of my teeth was actually half there and yellowed when it came in. 

She really wanted to fix her teeth, so she took tiny steps to become more comfortable going to the dentist. 

Dianne

Getting into the door was the hardest thing. I started with standing in the lobby, not even sitting in the chair.

I stood by the door so I can make a fast getaway.

Then she talked with Dr. McVey about how they could make her experience at the office easier for her.

Dianne

I talked to him about it and we discussed my fears. And he set up the plan for me. And I didn't…I seriously didn't have any worry from that day on.

Part of the plan included a service called conscious sedation. Where the patient takes 2 pills before their appointment to help them relax and ease fear during appointments.

*If you want to learn more about what sedation dentistry is, you can read this article from the Cleveland Clinic.

Dr. McVey's dental assistant, Emilia, explains more about the service.

Emilia

You're not completely under like an I.V. sedation. It just kind of helps to relax them.

A lot of times they are very sleepy, lay them back in the chair, turn the lights down. They're never left alone. There's always somebody in the room with them. We just every 30 minutes, we ask them how comfortable they feel.

Dianne was finally able to have her teeth fixed without her anxiety taking over. 

Dianne

I think it was the conscious sedation. But you don't have a worry. The worry is in his hands, not yours. And that was the biggest thing. 

Conscious sedation made it so much easier for her to get her teeth worked on.

Dianne

I go to a lot of doctors. This is one I can honestly say I feel safe at.

Her story highlights how important it is to have a doctor work with you and your fears to have a better experience.

Interviewer

It's important to have a doctor, a dentist, who's going to work with you?

Dianne

With you on your care? Yeah. Your fears.

And patients who do well with conscious sedation are able to do even more dentistry without it.

Emilia

Almost always [if] the patient is comfortable enough, and we have had several patients graduate from getting all kinds of sedation to just nitrous oxide.

Dianne is now one of those patients.

Dianne

I have to have a little nitrous [oxide] every now and then when I'm unfamiliar with what's being done. But for cleanings and just basic care? I'm fine on my own. But a little nitrous [oxide] when that little drilling…drilling starts humming, it takes the edge off.

Interviewer

I think that's great that you don't need the conscious sedation.

Dianne

Yes. I'm grown up. I graduated. I've got my tassel. I flipped it to the other side of my mortarboard.

We're so proud of how far Dianne's come!

Are you ready to be the next success story?

Visit our conscious sedation dentistry service page to learn more or call 620-275-9157 to book your appointment.