Finding Sedation Dentistry Near Me
Sedation dentistry can greatly help patients who have anxiety and fear of dental treatment, even a routine cleaning. A lot of dental providers offer some form of sedation to their patients and the type available varies from office to office. If you have some form of dental anxiety, speak with your dentist to see what options are available to you in their office.
Is dental sedation right for me?
Anxiety over dental treatment is incredibly common and if there is an option available to you that will help you and your dental treatment, it can be a great option to keep you calm and keep your mouth healthy. Patients who should consider sedation dentistry may regularly experience:
- Anxiety over going to the dentist, even for a routine cleaning
- Past traumatic dental experience
- Difficulty getting numb with local anesthesia
- Extremely sensitive teeth
- A fear of needles
- Complex dental work that require longer appointments
Other patients that may consider some form of sedation for dental appointments are patients who suffer from medical conditions that caused them to have trouble controlling their movements, like patients with Parkinson’s disease or cerebral palsy. sedation allows the patient’s body to relax so that involuntary muscle movements do not negatively impact dental treatment.
Sedation dentistry is really only appropriate for adult patients, those are the age of 18 so a pediatric office may offer some form of sedation dentistry that is appropriate for younger patients. Patients who are seeking sedation dentistry need to be sure to provide their dentist with an up-to-date list of medications and current medical conditions to be sure that nothing will interfere with the effectiveness of the sedation.
Types of Sedation
There are a few forms of sedation dentistry available which include oral sedation, IV sedation, And general anesthesia. Let’s take a look at each in detail:
- Oral sedatives: Benzodiazepines such as Valium, Diazepam, or Xanax are frequently used for oral sedation and are taken in pill form. Oral sedatives are administered 30 minutes to an hour prior to a dental appointment and are used in conjunction with a local anesthesia administered for pain management at the site being worked on.
- Nitrous oxide: Also called laughing gas, nitrous oxide is inhaled during treatment and keeps the patient in the state of relaxation. The gas is inhaled, takes effect immediately, and is also used with a local anesthetic pain management.
- IV sedation: Intravenous sedation is a great option for patients with higher anxiety levels and is administered through a vein and takes effect quickly. Your doctor monitors your levels and adjusts dosage as needed throughout dental procedures. Local anesthesia is administered for pain management.
- General anesthesia: General anesthesia renders the patient unconscious and is reserved for patients who could not manage treatment under other sedation methods. No local anesthesia is administered.
Sedation dentistry is a great way to effectively allow patients to endure dental treatment that may otherwise cause an extreme amount of anxiety. If you think that sedation dentistry could help you, speak with your dentist to see what options are available.