Does the thought of getting your teeth cleaned make you feel tense? Would you rather prefer bearing the toothache than visit a dentist’s clinic? Well, do not worry as you are not alone.
Visiting a dentist can be so stressful for many people that they believe not having any treatment is a better option. But as we know, leaving a tooth issue unattended can pave the way to graver issues, and more painful and more expensive treatment. So, visiting a dentist, when needed, just cannot be avoided.
However, to have a more relaxing experience, you can opt for sedation dentistry.
What is Sedation Dentistry?
If you opt for sedation dentistry, your dentist will then administer sedatives during or before they perform their dental care routine. Sedatives are used to perform services like tooth extraction or cosmetic dental procedures in a safe manner.
While it does make things easy for the dentists, it also makes the experience relaxing for the patients. Sedation dentistry is a great choice for patients as they will not have the memory of experiencing the procedures. And, they will not get anxious or feel fearful when in the dental chair.
Kinds of Sedation Dentistry
Mild Sedation – This kind of sedative is administered through inhalation or orally. A common type of mild sedative is nitrous oxide, which is popularly called the �laughing gas.’
When mild sedatives like nitrous oxide are used, patients stay conscious through the dental procedure. They can breathe on their own and will feel fully relaxed when the dentists offer them their services.
Moderate Sedation – Intravenous sedation and oral medication can be a good choice for those patients who get highly anxious during dental procedures.
Dentists may prescribe oral medication that the patient must take before they arrive at the clinic. Alternatively, in the clinic, the dentist may inject a sedative into the bloodstream of the patient through their vein to ease their anxiety faster.
Just like in the case of mild sedatives, intravenous sedation too keeps you conscious and lets the dentist control the length and level of sedation.
Deep Sedation – Yet another type of sedation is deep sedation. In this case, general anesthesia can be given to those patients who are going for complex or invasive dental procedures like dental implants or root canals.
The patients will remain unconscious throughout the procedure and will need breathing assistance.
Benefits of Sedation Dentistry
Now that you know what sedation dentistry is, and also are aware of the different types, let us get to learn about the benefits of this procedure.
- Anxiety Relief
One of the most common benefits of sedation dentistry is the anxiety relief that the patients get to enjoy. This enables them to go through the procedure comfortably, and thus they do not avoid visiting a dentist, or neglect opting for a dental process that is important.
- Minimal Gag Reflex
The gag reflex is actually good. It is important for the throat to be able to expel any foreign, intrusive object. However, in case a patient is fully aware when a dentist works in his mouth, then the gag reflex may prove to be a hindrance. At times, a dentist may have to go really deep into an oral cavity, but the gag reflex may come in the way.
The spasms of a patient may cause harm depending on what the dentist may be doing. However, with sedation dentistry, this is not an issue since the gag reflex will be paralyzed. The dentist thus will be able to work more efficiently and quickly. Also, the patient will be a lot more comfortable.
- Relief from Pain
Many people hate visiting the dentist as no one wants to experience gum or tooth pain. But, with sedation dentistry, the pain is almost fully eliminated. The brain is not able to register the pain when it is under the influence of anesthetics and sedatives. And thus there is nothing for you to worry about.
- Quick Dental Procedure
If an anesthetic or sedative has been used, then under its influence, a patient will not be squirming around in a chair during a dental procedure. This will make things easier for the patient as well as the dentist.
The dentist will not have to think about your reaction and thus can complete the procedure really fast and efficiently. So, you will be out of the dental clinic quite fast.
To Conclude
Always remember, it is not wise to delay any dental procedure that has been recommended by your dentist. It is natural to be nervous, more so, if you are opting for a dental procedure for the first time.
But now, you have no reasons to worry at all. Sedation dentistry is here to your rescue. No matter how difficult the dental procedure may be, thanks to this kind of dentistry, you will not feel the pain, and not even remember what happened during the procedure.
You simply will be left with reasons to be happy about the fact that your dental process is successfully complete, and your teeth and gums are cured and healthy, that too without you having to suffer from any pain or any bad memories at all.