While anxious patients don’t associate the word tranquility with a trip to the dentist, the use of sedation dentistry can create a positive and calming experience for those with apprehension about dental care. There are a variety of sedative options to help with dental phobia, whether your fear is of an upcoming major oral surgery, or you get nervous at the thought of basic teeth cleaning.
Sedation dentistry helps anxious patients relax when receiving dental treatment. With nearly one-third of the population avoiding the dentist out of fear, finding a way to lessen anxiousness has helped make good oral hygiene practices obtainable.
We have created this guide to help you understand what sedation treatment is available and how it can help you feel confident at the dental office:
Types of Sedation Methods
What type of sedative you take to overcome your dental fear can depend on the purpose of your visit. For shorter, simpler visits, nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, works effectively in providing you a well-being as well as a quick recovery time. By breathing in the vapor administered through a small mask over your nose, a euphoric feeling is created, leaving you relaxed and worry-free for the duration treatment. When our dentist removes the mask and applies pure oxygen, you will start to feel the effects wear off only after a few minutes.
Oral sedation provides an additional calming effect in the form of a pill. This mode of sedation is best for those with dental anxiety that begins prior to arriving at the office. When this happens, patients take the prescribed medication an hour before the appointment and take the second dosage when in the office, if necessary. This medication lessens the patient’s awareness of their surroundings, creating a soothing and calming sense of relaxation or even sleepiness, but does not actually put a patient to sleep. It’s important to secure safe transportation home, as the effects take longer to dissipate than the nitrous gas.
For those scheduled for complex procedures, intravenous sedation provides relaxation deep enough to place patients into a kind of deep sleep, where they won’t remember their appointment. IV sedation is not general anesthesia and does not carry the same risks. Intravenous sedation is generally reserved for patients undergoing oral surgery and requires that the patient secure safe transportation home after the procedure.
Questions about Sedation? Contact our Office!
At South Bay Dentistry & Orthodontics, Dr. Joseph Azizi and his well-trained staff are here to answer questions you may have about making your visit to the dentist office a less stressful time. Give us a call to set up an appointment today!
