For anyone and everyone afraid of going to the dentist, sedation dentistry is a miracle solution. An office that specializes in treating people with dental phobia are equipped with various sedation methods to help the experience be less scary for you.
Lots of dentists say they offer “sleep” dentistry, but this doesn’t mean you will be “put to sleep” or administered with the general anesthesia they use for major surgery. Instead, there are lesser forms of sedation that do the trick without the risks.
The simplest and most basic thing a dentist can do for you is offer anti-anxiety medication for the time before and during the procedure. Anti-anxiety pills will help you feel calm, grounded and unafraid of the dentist. In fact, people with all sorts of different phobias use these bills to calm their nerves when faced with their fear.
Anti-anxiety pills work by slowing down the parts of your brain that create the feelings of anxiety and fear. This type of drug is called Benzodiazepines but it is sold under many different names. You should talk to your dentist and your doctor about whether Valium, Xanax, Ativan or another option is best for you.
Another way a sedation dentist can help out is by giving you sleeping pills. This will help you get a good night of rest before the procedure. Plus, you will likely feel drowsy once you get to the dentist, too, which will help you relax and let go.
For something stronger, you can get sedation through IV. Having a needle in your arm or hand that delivers a drug that helps you relax can make a dentist appointment calm rather than traumatic. This type of sedation will leave you somewhat aware during the procedure. You will be able to respond to the dentist’s questions and requests. However, it is not likely that you will have any memory of the procedure once it is over.
The oldest form of sedation is nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas. This is a type of sedation that you inhale right before the procedure. It makes people feel giddy, thus the name laughing gas, but it will also make you feel deeply relaxed.
Pain relief is not part of sedation. Instead, the dentist will use local anesthesia on whatever part he or she is working on.
Whatever your level of fear regarding dentists, finding an office near you that offers sedation services is key to keeping up on your oral health. Sedation dentistry offers several different options to make the whole experience as relaxed, calm and free of fear as possible.