Sedation Dentistry

Ever had a painful toothache that you've lived with for months just to avoid a visit to the dentist's chair and drill? If you have, then you're not the only one with this feeling. There is a huge number of people who fear visiting the dentist. People go to all ends not to keep an appointment with their oral health physician. This fear is common and ranges from mild to severe in intensity.

So why does dental phobia develop? The most common reason is some previous traumatic experience. Sometimes listening to narratives from other people develops a fear of dentists as well as the portrayal of dental visits in the media.

Is this a serious problem? It can be. Dental phobia, in any intensity, can have adverse effects on maintaining oral hygiene.

So what do you do if you have to have a tooth pulled or your teeth fixed and you're mortally scared of the dentist's clinic? It's very simple. Make use of advancing technology in oral health techniques. One of these techniques is to provide patients with a painless and anxiety free dental experience.

What dental procedure is pain and anxiety-free you ask? Sedation dentistry. Sedation dentistry is also referred to as 'relaxation dentistry' or 'sleep dentistry'. It is a relatively new technique and more and more dentists are using it to relieve their patients of apprehension and stress.

So what exactly is done in sedation dentistry?

Sedation dentistry makes use of sedative drugs to relax the central nervous system of the patient. This induces a sense of calm and peace, as well as making the person feel drowsy and sleepy. Once this is achieved, the dentist can carry out lengthy procedures with the patient not feeling any pain or discomfort.

The obvious question to ask here then is how is the sedation carried out in sedation dentistry?

There are several ways of inducing sedation for sedation dentistry. It can be done either intravenously, orally or through inhalation. There are both advantages and disadvantages for each of these methods. For example, using an IV allows you to change the dosage of the drug which the oral method doesn't allow. On the other hand, oral and inhalation methods don't involve needles which many people are afraid of.

So is sedation dentistry a good choice to make?

If you happen to fear dentists, needles and drills, sedation dentistry is a good choice to make. This allows you to get the required oral maintenance without the accompanying pain and nervousness. With sedation dentistry even a couple of hours on the chair feel like a few minutes, and that has to be huge benefit!

So gone are the days of anxious waiting and painful drillings. With sedation dentistry you have the opportunity to sit back, relax, let the dentist do his thing and walk out with better teeth, all without any worry and trauma.