Transforming your smile: addressing dental fear and anxiety
Get a new smile and a new lease on life at the office of Advanced Dental. Our team, led by Drs Chitra Tiruveedula and Joseph C. Yang, has developed a strong following among many formerly fearful or anxious patients across the Aliso Viejo, California, area. Often, these patients haven’t visited a dentist in years due to crippling anxiety and apprehension. Drs Tiruveedula and Yang heard them and did not judge them. We hear your concerns, too, and also provide a judgment-free zone as we work toward understanding and resolving your unique dental “triggers” for anxiety and fear.
What do you mean by triggers?
Sometimes, the sensations, smells, sights, and sounds associated with day-to-day services and treatments at the dentist’s office can trigger fear and apprehension. Every effort has been made to minimize or eliminate those triggers.
How have you minimized/avoided these triggers?
Our practice is built on a foundation of gentle, minimally invasive services and therapies. We use the most light-touch techniques and technologies to perform the treatments you need to have a healthy, beautiful smile and support your best overall health and wellness. Examples include our use of laser-assisted dentistry. Many procedures can be performed without the use of scalpels, needles, drills, and other fear-inducing instruments. The laser supports optimal treatment while reducing pain, swelling, and the risk of serious complications.
Do you have sedation?
Getting to know our team and the comfortable office environment can help build trust and alleviate concerns and fears. However, we appreciate that patients bring with them different backgrounds, experiences, and perceptions of dentistry to each appointment. So, you may require a little more “help” in the form of relaxing medication.
What types of sedation do you offer?
To truly accommodate everyone, our dentists are qualified and have the onsite capabilities to offer everything from “light” or minimal sedation with laughing gas (nitrous oxide) to deeper forms of sedation – oral conscious and IV. The former option involves wearing a lightweight nasal mask to deliver the relaxing gas. In contrast, the latter two options are delivered via a prescription oral sedative medication and intravenously through a vein.
Do I need to arrange for someone to drive me to and from my appointment when sedatives are used?
It really depends on the type of sedation that is administered. The effects of nitrous oxide both take hold and wear off very quickly. There should be no lingering drowsiness that impairs your ability to safely drive or operate other machinery afterward. This is not the case with the deeper sedative methods mentioned here. In those cases, you must confirm reliable transportation as it is not safe for you to drive on these sedatives.
Fighting dental fear does not have a single silver bullet solution. It is a sum of many different parts. Let us acquaint you with our relaxing office amenities, truly caring and understanding staff, and state-of-the-art technologies to support the best possible experience. Altogether, we can lift the health and beauty of your smile and the rest of you by lifting the heavy burden of fear from your shoulders. Advanced Dental welcomes the opportunity to discuss any concerns with you – please call our Aliso Viejo, CA office at (949) 289-9993 today.
Dr. Chitra Tiruveedula
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Dr. Chitra Tiruveedula has been practicing dentistry for over 20 years. After advanced training at Case Western Reserve University and Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, she relocated to Orange County, CA in 2015. Dr. Chitra is a member of the American Dental Association and California Dental Association. Committed to continuous education, she provides top-quality dental services using the latest advancements.
Dr. Joseph C. Yang
Dr. Joseph C. Yang has over 30 years of dental practice experience. He earned his B.S. from Washington University in St. Louis, MO, and his D.D.S. from the University of Illinois, Chicago. He then had a distinguished 30-year career as a U.S. Naval Dental Officer, including a residency in Periodontology at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Dr. Yang is a diplomate of the American Board of Periodontology and a member of the American Dental Association and American Academy of Periodontology. As a board-certified Periodontist, he has performed thousands of successful periodontal and implant procedures. He is also a renowned lecturer and trainer in the latest implant and periodontal techniques worldwide.