Sedation Dentistry to Overcome Dental Fear

Dental anxiety can turn out to be more dangerous than dental complications. The reason for it is that you may start missing the dental visits just because you don’t like sitting on the dentist’s chair. It can lead to serious health complications afterwards because dental or oral health is more exposed to infections than other systems of the body. Heaving that said, it is worth mentioning here that there are options which can help you in getting rid of the dental fear. Among many other options, sedation dentistry is the one which is more popular than any other in the industry.

Sedation dentistry is the procedure which can help a patient to get relaxed while getting the dental treatment. There are various ways in which sedation can be administered. If you are not very fearful but you still have discomfort about the procedure, the sedation you can get would not knock you out completely. You will be conscious but you will not feel the fear. Extreme sedation is given through injection. It’s also called IV sedation.

Having that said, there are a few types of sedation dentistry to be discussed.

Nitrous oxide

This one is more common and safe method for reducing anxiety or fear in the patient. It can be combined with oral or IV sedation based on the requirements and circumstances. All you need to do here is to inhale the gas through a facemask. This gas has no taste and odor; and it doesn’t cause any kind of irritation. The administration of this sedation results in full body euphoria, and the fear fades away.

Oral Sedation

This sedation mainly involves intake of pills which include Valium, Halcion, Xanax or Ativan. You will need to take these pills prior to treatment. These pills basically regulate the brain’s receptors which are responsible for triggering fear in the mind. With the intake of these pills, you may feel your senses fading away. There may be drowsiness or minor amnesia after the intake of these pills.

IV (intravenous) Sedation

This is the extreme kind of sedation and it is administered by injecting anesthesia in the bloodstream. Based on the requirement, the sedation can be given to bring mild or complete unconsciousness. Mild unconsciousness would make you feel the passage of time getting accelerated. It is administered when you are required to respond to the dentist’s instructions during procedure.

The primary reason for sedation dentistry is usually the reduction of fear. But it can be administered based on the type of treatment you need. If it is the surgical process, you wouldn’t want to see the process. Sedation can help quite well in this regard.