New Hanover County · Since 1987
Sedation Dentistry in Wrightsville Beach, NC
Sedation is for people who have been putting this off for years. If the reason you are reading this is that the last visit went badly, we do this often and nobody here is going to make you feel foolish about it.
- Three doctors, one location
- Sedation available
- Most major plans accepted
- Written estimates before treatment
A closer look at sedation
Options range from nitrous oxide, which wears off before you drive home, through oral sedation that leaves most of the appointment hazy, to deeper IV sedation for longer surgical work.
What we see from Wrightsville Beach
Wrightsville Beach has the highest household incomes in the region and a resident base that treats a good smile as part of the package.
Sedation here is more often about time efficiency than fear: combining several appointments into one is worth a lot to someone whose calendar is the constraint.
Summer traffic on Eastwood Road is worth planning around; a morning appointment is a different journey from a four o'clock one in July.
The island's year-round population is small, so almost everyone here already drives into Wilmington for medical appointments.
Harbour Island and the Banks Channel side send us most of our Wrightsville Beach patients, and the drawbridge is the only real variable in the trip.
We see patients from across Wrightsville Beach and the surrounding area, including Johnnie Mercer's Pier, the Loop, Banks Channel and the 28480 ZIP code.
New Hanover County is the built-out core of the region, growing around one percent a year, with roughly 21 percent of residents over 65 and the highest concentration of employer dental coverage in southeastern North Carolina.
We will show you the options at different price points and be clear about which difference you will notice and which you will not.
Twenty minutes over the drawbridge puts you in a chair with a doctor who does this work every week, not a cosmetic clinic that sees veneers twice a year.
You may be a candidate if
- You avoid the dentist because of fear, and have for years
- A previous appointment was painful or humiliating
- You have a strong gag reflex
- You need extensive work and would rather do it in fewer visits
- Sitting still for long appointments is difficult for you
- Local anesthetic has not worked well for you in the past
The sequence of appointments
- Conversation firstWe talk about what specifically is difficult. Often it is one particular thing rather than the whole visit.
- Medical reviewMedications, conditions and history determine which option is safe for you.
- Choosing a levelNitrous, oral, or IV. We explain what each feels like and what the day looks like.
- TreatmentYou are monitored throughout.
- RecoveryNitrous wears off in minutes. Oral and IV need a driver and a quiet afternoon.
Afterwards
With nitrous you can drive yourself home. With oral or IV sedation you need someone to drive you, and you should plan to do nothing much for the rest of the day. Follow the eating instructions we give you before the appointment.
Follow-up visits are short and we will schedule them at the start or end of the day if that works better around your week.
What it costs
Nitrous oxide is a modest addition to the visit. Oral and IV sedation are priced by the length of the appointment. Some plans contribute when sedation is medically necessary rather than elective. We will check and tell you either way.
We can sequence larger cases across two benefit years where the clinical situation allows it, which puts two annual maximums against the same plan of treatment.
In their own words
Hear from Dr. Josh Winneberger
Dr. Winneberger on getting you numb without you noticing, and helping nervous patients get comfortable in the chair.
Questions we get asked
How long does it take to wear off?
Nitrous, five to ten minutes. Oral sedation, several hours with grogginess into the evening. IV, similar, with the rest of the day written off.
Will I be unconscious?
No. Even IV sedation leaves you responsive. Most patients simply do not remember much of the appointment.
How far is your office from Wrightsville Beach?
About 10 miles, or roughly 20 minutes via Eastwood Road (US-74) over the Heide Trask Drawbridge. We are at 1301 Physicians Dr in Wilmington, with parking at the door.
Do you see patients from Wrightsville Beach?
Regularly. Wrightsville Beach is part of our core service area in New Hanover County, and twenty minutes over the drawbridge puts you in a chair with a doctor who does this work every week, not a cosmetic clinic that sees veneers twice a year.
What are your hours?
Monday through Thursday, 8:00am to 5:00pm, and Friday, 8:00am to 12:00pm. Outside those hours, leave a message or use the appointment request form and we will come back to you with the first available time.
Sedation Dentistry · Wrightsville Beach, NC
Nobody here is going to make you feel bad about it.
A large share of our new patients start the conversation by apologizing for how long it has been. It is the most ordinary thing we hear.
- Nitrous, oral and IV sedation options
- Members of the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology
- You can stop the appointment at any point
- We explain before we do, every time
Embarrassed about the state of things? We have seen it. We are interested in the plan forward.
Request an appointment
We reply the next business day.
Please do not include Protected Health Information. For anything urgent, call (910) 762-0958.
