Sedation Dentistry: What It Is & How Can It Help You

A picture-perfect smile and a healthy set of ivories is everyone’s dream. But whether it is for aesthetic reasons, to relieve pain, or to restore oral health as such, you are not alone if you are afraid of painful dental procedures.

About 20% avoid going to the dentist until things are out of control.     

As per surveys, more than 75% of adults have some degree of dental anxiety or fear, the roots of which are in past dental experiences. Pain is the top and most obvious reason for dentophobia.

Now although many may experience anxiety just from some smells and sounds that remind them of a dental office, that too stems from the fear of pain.      

So the real dream here is to be relaxed when reclining in the dentist’s chair. And the truth is, managing dental anxiety is no longer a problem.

Sedation Dentistry is the Solution

Sedation dentistry is an innovative way of treating oral issues by calming you using sedatives so that you don’t get panicky or startled when your dentist is working on your mouth.

The sedative drugs selected for this purpose temporarily depress the central nervous system for a fixed period of time.

The channels of the nervous system that involve conscious awareness and hence pain is put to sleep for this preplanned while.

Who Is Sedation Dentistry For?

Sedation Dentistry or dental procedures are carried out after making you unconscious by administering tranquillizing drugs. It is so beneficial if:

• You are extremely anxious about visiting the dentist
• Your last visit to the dentist did not go so well
• You have a hyperactive gag reflex
• You have teeth sensitivity
• The procedure may take too long
• You have a condition that prevents you from holding your mouth open for long, such as TMD (temporomandibular disorder) or TMJ
• Local anesthesia had not worked very well for you in the past
• You have not gone to the dentist in a very long time
• You had been diagnosed recently with trauma
• You are generally afraid of hospitals, needles, and medical tools and equipment.

And yes, sedation dentistry is available for children too.

In any case, you need to find the best full sedation dentist near you that offers anxiety-free sedation and expert sleep dentistry ahead, so that you need not panic in emergencies. You can speak with your dentist beforehand if any of these cases apply to you or your child. They will know best.   

Is Sedation Dentistry better than Local Anesthetics?

Local anesthetic drugs are injected into a part of your mouth. The needle usually goes into the gum, close to where it might hurt when your doctor performs the procedure on you. 

Sedation Dentistry, on the other hand, can be performed without using syringes while you are conscious. So, in most sedated dental procedures you will not see a needle (or any sharp object) hovering around your face. 

Will I be completely asleep during my Sedation Dentistry procedure? Can I drive home afterwards?

In most cases, the doctor chooses mild sedation that can be orally administered just before beginning the procedure or at least nasally by inhalation of a sedative gas.

In some cases, you may be given a dose of sedative to be swallowed before the appointment. Intravenous sedation is also opted by dentists at times. The sedative effects appear much faster when the drug is injected into the bloodstream. 

In all these cases, the sedative effects are moderate and you can regain complete consciousness faster.

But deep sedation, much like general anesthesia, renders you completely unconscious.

This is opted by dentists for completing complex procedures while you are completely relaxed in the chair. It may take longer for you to regain complete responsiveness.

Although the degree of drugging and the time for recovery varies, it is recommended that you do not drive home yourself afterwards for many reasons. Different bodies respond differently to sedation and dental procedures. 

Some level of sleepiness, pain, bleeding, or other difficulties are expected after the procedures and are normal.

But having someone trustworthy to take you home and take care of you for the day is very important.

Is Sedation Dentistry Safe for Everyone – Children, Elderly, and Adults?

Sedation Dentistry is practised safely and effectively by the best dentists around the globe. 

Children can be generally anxious in hospital-like situations. But their teeth punish them too cruelly for their otherwise carefree nature.

Sedation Dentistry can bring children to ease dental procedures. This would also hopefully help them get used to hospital situations.

As for the elderly, Sedation Dentistry is again a boon. Not only do they provide a pain-free dental care experience, but also ensure that elderly patients who have memory or consciousness issues can also keep their teeth healthy.

Your dentist will make sure beforehand that the patient’s age, history, and current medical conditions allow sedative treatments. So, it is important that you get to share all your concerns with your dentist beforehand.

We Assure You

Sedation Dentistry not only helps you by making you calm and feel no pain during the procedure but also helps you ease into such situations in the future.

With sedation dentistry, you will see that the dentist’s office is not as scary as you had thought before. 

Since you are less likely to jerk your head during the procedure there are much fewer chances of accidents in the dental chair, meaning you will recover much faster.

All the more, not having to get worried and pass out inappropriately in the dentist’s office is a great plus. You can now choose to sleep in the dental chair.

So the next time you need to see your dentist ask them if you will need (or can have) a sedated dental procedure.