Gag Reflex Dentist

Whether you have a minor or severe gag reflex, we are here to work with you to make your dental visits more comfortable.

There is no doubt that many people are a bit anxious before getting into the dentist’s chair. For those patients who have strong gag reflexes, just the thought of being in the dentist’s chair is enough to trigger one.

Schedule an Appointment – Call (314) 862-7844

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The Dental Anesthesia Center: Sedation and Sleep Dentistry

Based on 96 reviews

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pnkldy74

Our adult daughter has cerebral palsy and requires being fully sedated when having anything done. The DAC was such a positive experience. Dr Hoffmann and his staff were kind and did great explaining things. As a mom, I had a lot of questions about how certain things would be done as usually she’s in her chair when getting examined at her local dentist and they had everything under control including transferring from her chair to the dentist chair and keeping her secured in the dentist chair as well as keeping her neck and legs comfortable. Many thanks to them!

Response from the owner:Thank you so much for your kind words. We’re grateful for your trust and happy to hear that you had such a positive experience with our team. Our goal is always to provide compassionate, attentive care in a safe and comfortable environment. We truly appreciate you taking the time to share your experience.

Craig P.

TWENTY YEARS! That is how long our special needs son has been seeing Dr Hoffman and his dedicated team! Our son suffers from an intellectual disability, is non-verbal, and is unable to cooperate for dental cleaning, x-rays, or other routine dental work. He requires general anesthesia. It is such a blessing to avoid a hospital setting just for dental work.

The team is always well staffed, friendly, personable and very professional. Every single year we have been supported by a deeply caring team who are dedicated to patients with a very wide range of disabilities and needs. They have shared useful dental advice and tools (3 sided toothbrushes, blocks to hold open their mouth for daily at-home care, etc.) which improved our son’s daily dental care. We always receive a call back the day after to check his recovery-even on weekends!

Highly recommended and so appreciative to have this team supporting our ever long road of raising a special needs son.

Response from the owner:Wow — thank you for sharing such a heartfelt review! We are so grateful for your trust and for allowing our team to be part of your family’s journey over the years. It means so much to us to know that our care and support have made a difference. We truly appreciate your kind words and recommendation!

Cheryl D.

We've been coming to Dr.Hoffman for twenty years. There's a reason we keep coming back! He's great. His staff is great. He's double boarded as an MD (Anesthesia) and DDS!!! Our son with special needs needs sedation for even a cleaning. You get what you pay for. He's expensive and... we know he's getting the best care!

Response from the owner:Thank you for trusting our team over the years and for your kind words about Dr. Hoffmann and our staff. We truly value your confidence in the care we provide!

Leslie L.

Omg!! This place is Amazing! The people who work here are so very nice and understanding. I love this team

Response from the owner:Thank you so much for your kind words! We truly appreciate your support and are grateful to have such wonderful patients.

Cindy R.

Searching for a new dental clinic is challenging for someone who has
dental anxiety, fear, and traumatic experiences in a dental chair. The staff and doctors at the Dental Anesthesia Center were immediately very welcoming. Dr. Thoms put together a very detailed plan to repair and replace the previous work that I had in the past that was now causing problems. Putting my faith in him was the best thing that I could have done for my situation. I am more than completely satisfied with all of the extensive dental work that I’ve had with Dr.Thoms. I had my fourth sleep dentistry experience yesterday and I’m very happy with my results. I highly recommend this practice and truly want to give them more than five stars! Thank you for giving me back my health and confidence.

Response from the owner:We know it isn’t always easy to find a dental office where you feel at ease, so your words mean the world to us. We’re so glad you feel comfortable with our team and truly appreciate your trust and recommendation!

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Of course, the worst possible solution is to avoid going to the dentist at all. Delaying dental treatment because of a strong gag reflex is a common reason that many people face the risk of serious health concerns.

For some people, their gag reflex may be easily triggered when visiting the dentist or doctor for a routine checkup or procedure. For others, their gag reflex may be so sensitive that they can’t even swallow a pill. If you are in this situation, don’t worry, there are several methods you can try to prevent your gag reflex from interfering with your oral and physical health.

Whether you have a minor or severe gag reflex in St. Louis, we will work with you to make your dental visits more comfortable.

How Is The Gag Reflex Triggered?

The best way to reduce the effects of your gag reflex is to understand what triggers it. There has been a long debate in the scientific community about whether physical or psychological factors play a more significant part in producing a gag reflex. The truth is, it is a combination of both of those things.

The gag reflex, otherwise known as the pharyngeal reflex, is one of the body’s many defense mechanisms. In particular, this defense mechanism is made to keep objects from getting in your throat and blocking your airway, which could, in turn, cause choking.

The severity of the gag reflex can differ from person to person, as many people barely have gag reflexes at all. With that said, it is a relatively common physiological factor for people who have overactive gag reflexes.

As to why people have active gag reflexes in the dentist’s chair, much of it can be tributed to the added stress and anxiety of being in that environment.

Lessening Your Gag Reflex

Regardless of if your gag reflex is the effect of physiological or psychological factors, there are a few things that you can do to lessen your gag reflex while you are at the dentist.

• Breathe Through Your Nose – When your mouth is propped open, it can seem that mouth breathing becomes the default. However, breathing through your mouth is one of the most common triggers of the gag reflex. We recommend turning your attention towards your nose and breathing with it rather than your mouth.

• Refrain From Swallowing Your Saliva – Let’s face it, the idea of drooling while sitting in the dentist’s chair is an idea that we could do without. However, one of the main reasons people tend to gag while in the chair is that they attempt to swallow their saliva. Instead, saliva will be suctioned out effortlessly during your procedure.

• Distract Yourself – Sometimes, we find that all patients need to keep from gagging is a good distraction. The type of distraction that a person needs is entirely up to them. Some enjoy watching a movie or listening to music, while others enjoy having a stress ball to squeeze. Others want self-hypnosis techniques to help get them in the right frame of mind.

• Employing Sedation – Our specialty at The Dental Anesthesia Center is sedation and sleep dentistry. For some patients who have severe gag reflexes, some form of sedation might be necessary so that you can have the best dental experience. There are different levels of sedation that we can administer, so make sure to speak with your dentist before your appointment to see if this type of procedure is right for you.

We’re Here To Keep You Comfortable

Here at The Dental Anesthesia Center, we want to make sure that your visit to the dentist is comfortable and painless. We offer sedation dentistry for patients who have severe and sensitive gag reflexes in the St. Louis area.

Regular dental visits are necessary to maintain proper oral health, and not visiting the dentist because of a severe gag reflex is not the solution. For patients with gag reflex in St. Louis, give us a call at (314) 862-7844 to schedule an appointment! We look forward to seeing you!