People tend to be anxious when they go to the doctors, or just have an overall fear of seeing doctors. Sedation is a good option for those who tend to be on the nervous side of doctor visits.
Sedation dentistry is practiced by doctors to ensure their patient can have a procedure anxiety free. Sedation dentistry comes in many forms, which allows the patient to have a choice, which is especially important depending on how severe their fright is. The American Dental Association guarantees that a set of guidelines are followed when providing sedation and the training to the dentists.
Fear of the dentist or having dental anxiety exists around a number of things. Whether you think your dentist is out to cause pain, you’re afraid of needles, or the noises of the office make you nervous – sedation is a major factor to eliminating those fears.
A common form of anesthesia used is nitrous oxide, or more regularly referred to as laughing gas. Laughing gas is a type of anesthesia that is activated by breathing, and allows for a relaxation feeling for the patient. For laughing gas, you will have a mask placed over your nose with the nitrous oxide, and you will simply breathe it in to ease your nerves. Nitrous oxide is widely used because of its safety.
IV sedation is another common form of anesthesia used by dentists. IV sedation is injected through needle into your vein, which causes a deeper relaxation. This type of sedation is typically used for extractions, as it makes patients greatly calm, allowing them to not focus on the procedure and other noises.
In other cases, your dentist may provide you with oral sedatives. These come in the liquid or pill form, and act like the other sedatives, providing a calmness for the patient.
These anesthetics are a way to provide patients with a pleasant dental experience, without the nerves associated. If you think you would benefit from sedation dentistry, contact your dental office to set up a consultation. Your dentist and their staff will be able to walk you through which sedation process and will aid you in choosing one that fits your needs.
