How Sedation Dentistry Can Help Apprehensive Patients
Apprehensive About Dental Visits?
Many people are afraid or nervous about going to the dentist. In fact, a recent study showed that approximately a quarter of all people feel apprehensive about dentistry. That is perfectly understandable with all of the pointy scrapers, drills, and other tools going in your mouth during dental visits, but fortunately there’s a solution.
Using medicine to calm a patient before and during procedures is called “sedation dentistry” and it’s the perfect solution for people who have issues with seeing their dentist.
Some examples of people who could benefit from sedation dentistry include those with a very low pain threshold, an over-sensitive gag reflex, extremely sensitive gums and teeth, fear and nerves about oral procedures, and people who just have a hard time sitting still. If that sounds like you, please look into sedation dentistry with the Dental Brothers.
Calms Your Nerves before Your Dental Visit
We understand that dental appointments can be nerve wracking. Fortunately, sedation dentistry is perfect if you feel extremely nervous, fearful, and especially if you have an actual phobia of dentistry or having tools in your mouth. Although you won’t be fully unconscious, people report feeling little to no fear or pain while under sedation and many report that they remember little of the procedure itself afterwards.
While day-to-day procedures normally only require basic anesthetics and sedatives, more invasive procedures like drilling a deep cavity can be painful without sedation for some people, which may cause them to avoid getting it taken care of and that can lead to further complications.
Easier for the Dentist
Sedation dentistry doesn’t just make it more comfortable for you while you’re in the chair, it also makes the job easier while your dentist is working. People who tend to flinch, who have a hard time sitting still for long periods of time, or who twitch involuntarily can make movements that slow down dental work.
That being said, we know that it’s not always possible to stay perfectly still and this is especially true with some children who haven’t developed the patience yet to stay still in an uncomfortable position for so long.
Sedated, involuntary movements are reduced or even eliminated, allowing your dentist to get the job done quickly and cleanly. This can be a great help for you even if you have no fear of the dentist!
Sedation Dentistry is a Specialty
Why doesn’t every dentist offer these services? The main reason is that dentists are trained to administer minimal amounts of sedatives and anesthetics during procedures, such as nitrous oxide (“laughing gas”), pills containing mild sedatives, and local anesthetics like novocaine.
Deeper sedation requires more specialized training in anesthetics than the typical dentist receives because anesthetic drugs have possible side effects and interactions with other drugs that you may be taking that the dentist needs to know how to deal with – which is exactly the kind of training that sedation dentists receive. Basically, sedation dentistry is a specialization of dentistry, not just a different technique.
Dental Brothers
If you’re afraid of oral surgery, seeing the dentist, or are just worried about the pain you might feel during a procedure, please contact Dental Brothers about our sedation dentistry services.
