Why Sedation Dentistry?
Almost everyone has to go to the dentist at some point in their life. And almost everyone can share at least one horror story from their experiences: “The dentist stabbed my gums.” “The toothpaste was terrible.” “They took so long.” “The dentist stabbed my gums again.” These things happen,but some circumstances are worse for some people than others.
Perhaps you are absolutely terrified of going to the dentist. Maybe you have a low tolerance for pain and are really worried the procedure will be too much for you. You might have fallen off your bike recently but now you need to have a lot of dental work done and don’t know if you’ll make it through the hours you have to sit in that chair.
There might be something that can help. Sedation Dentistry can help to ease some of that fear and take away the anxiety of going to the dentist. Of course hearing the words Sedation and Dentistry together could trigger a few responses in you: A skeptical “What is Sedation Dentistry?”, or a forceful “absolutely not, the only thing worse than the dentist is being knocked out in a dentist chair.” Well, maybe this will help: Using Sedation Dentistry does not mean you have to be completely unconscious during the cleaning or procedure.
What is Sedation Dentistry?
Sedation Dentistry cover multiple amounts and types of anesthesia that can be given to you before the dentist starts their work. It can help to ease you into the procedure or make it pass by much more quickly.
Minimal sedation, administered by breathing what is commonly known as “laughing gas”, leaves you only a little out of it. You are awake and aware, but you are relaxed and the effects tend to wear off quite quickly.
For IV Moderate Sedation, you are also awake but a little less present. It is medication administered by IV, so it not only works much faster, but the dentist can also adjust how conscious they would like you to be. Once you are done, you may experience stronger amnesia about the procedure but during the procedure you will be relaxed enough that if you wanted to, you could sleep through it and still be easily awoken.
Then there is general anesthesia and deep sedation. This medication will result in you being either deeply unconscious, or barely conscious. Unlike IV Moderate Sedation and Minimal Sedation, these effects are not as easily shaken. You will be unable to be woken from outside forces, and will instead have to wait for the anesthetic to wear off. If there are other things you need to do that day, a dentist can use medication that will wake you up faster.
Are you sure you need Sedation Dentistry?
There are several different scenarios in which Sedation Dentistry might be a good fit for you. They go beyond just fear of dentists to address how much work you need done and the level of pain the work might be causing.
If you require a lot of dental work…
You will definitely want to be under some sort of sedation. If you are worried about the pain and the length of the procedures, you may want to consider Moderate or Deep sedation. Being unconscious while the dentist works will not only make your time at the dentist seem shorter, but it will also be much more pleasant as you will likely not remember much of what happens.
If your pain threshold is low or you have very sensitive teeth and gums…
Sedation can help to ease you into the experience, dim your anxiety, and ease the pain. Depending on the amount of work being done and how long you’ll be there, you can look into Minimal or Moderate Sedation. Both will relax you and help to calm you down. If you are just a little sensitive, you may just want t
o settle for Minimal since the means are less drastic. If you have a low pain threshold and you may be there a little longer, you can try Moderate.
However, if you are uncomfortable with getting an IV, certain medications can administer from minimal to moderate sedation in the form of a pill. The pill should be taken an hour or so before you arrive at the dentist so that you can be sure it is in effect.
Dentists worried about the amount of pain the work being done may cause, will also likely use a numbing agent to help eliminate the pain in addition to the sedation. You will barely have to experience the procedure at all.
If you just can’t sit still…
Don’t worry, this isn’t uncommon. A lot of people have difficulty sitting still in the same chair for long periods of time. In fact, it can be pretty common, especially in kids and teenagers but also in adults. The thing is, all that fidgeting is not only uncomfortable for you. It makes the dentist’s job that much harder as well. Using minimal sedation will help calm down both your mind and your body, making it much more bearable and even comfortable for you to sit in that dentist chair for a more extended period of time. It will also be better for the dentist to get their work done as fast as possible because the calmer you are, the easier their job is.
If you are terrified of the dentist…
It is okay to look into sedation even if it’s just for the sake of easing your mind. The circumstances do not have to be drastic for Sedation Dentistry to be right for you. Try minimal sedation, whether through laughing gas or a pill. This will certainly help to relax you and calm you down during the unpleasant experience and make it considerably better for you in the long run. Perhaps it will help to eliminate that fear altogether.
