Dental sedation is a technique of relaxing patients that are highly anxious about dental work. The American Dental Association endorses dental sedation as a safe and effective method of relaxing patients during dental procedures. Approximately 30 percent of Americans avoid visits to the dentist, fearing the all-too-familiar dental phobia. Dental sedation helps people scared of going to the dentist to change their behavior and include dental visits in their schedule to care for their oral and overall health.
Receiving dental sedation is not a complicated procedure because, in most cases, you will likely receive a prescription for oral medications or pills to have an hour before your procedure. Dental sedation helps establish a relaxed and calm state using sedatives like tranquilizers, depressants, anti-anxiety medications, nitrous oxide, et cetera administered in various ways.
In the past, IV sedation or sedatives delivered via injections into the blood vessels of the arm or hand was a predominant method of sedating patients. IV sedation is safe and effective when administered by a trained professional. However, the evolution of sedation dentistry currently enables the dentist near me to provide patients with alternatives to IVs by offering them options that don't require needles, taking away the fear of shots.
The alternatives dentists offer to patients currently include nitrous oxide or laughing gas and oral sedation dentistry, fast becoming a popular technique for sedating patients in America and Canada. The method is straightforward, requiring no needles. The medications delivered create a comfortable experience to ensure patients don't remember most of their visit. Patients think they slept through their treatment, while sedation dentistry helps maintain a level of consciousness in the patient for their safety and cooperation.
Children are also anxious about dental visits because they don't know what to expect. Children with low tolerance to pain, dental phobia, and anxieties are recommended sedation dentistry to help calm them during dental procedures like fillings, crowns, or extractions.
Children receive mild to moderate dental sedation to raise their threshold of pain when undergoing any dental procedure. Dental sedation does not eliminate the need for injections because local anesthesia in the mouth is essential to block pain impulses when the dentist in South Austin, TX, performs dental procedures. However, the anesthesia is delivered after children are already sedated and will likely not be bothered or remember the sensation of the shot.
The level of sedation the patient receives determines how much time is needed for the sedatives to wear off. For example, inhalation sedation like nitrous oxide wears off immediately after the gas is stopped by the dentist and oxygen delivered to the patient.
Patients receiving mild to moderate or deep sedation will require time until the sedation wears off to make them fully alert again. In most cases, patients receive mild to moderate sedation. The dentist chooses the sedatives best suited for your needs by considering the treatments necessary, the length of the procedures, and your level of anxiety. Therefore, the dentist is the final determinant when selecting the sedatives suitable for you. However, you can request more potent sedatives if you suffer from extreme dental anxiety.
Before providing any sedatives for your treatment, sedation dentistry in Austin, TX, needs your entire medical history and a list of all medications you take, including herbal supplements and over-the-counter products. The information helps the dentist choose appropriate sedatives to calm and relax you during the dental procedure.
Dentists advise you to take the medications prescribed an hour before your appointment and arrive at the dental office with help from a family member or friend. After completing your dental work, you need help to return home because the sedation leaves you drowsy and incapable of operating vehicles or machinery. You must also have a caregiver to remain with you for a couple of hours after returning home for emergency purposes.
Dental sedation makes you think your dental procedure lasted for a few minutes when you may have spent hours in the dentist's chair. The relaxation provided by the sedatives helps you receive complicated dental procedures requiring multiple visits in fewer appointments. Furthermore, as dental sedation addresses the fears that prevent you from visiting dentists, you become a willing participant in receiving dental treatments essential for your oral and overall health.
If you are fearful of visiting dentists even for routine cleanings and exams, schedule an appointment with peak dental — South Austin to experience how dental sedation addresses your dental anxiety and helps you acquire the treatments you deserve.
