Your Guide to Sedation Dentistry
Good dental hygiene is the foundation for good overall health, so it’s imperative that everyone attends their regular dental checkups.
For many Americans, visiting the dentist is a nerve-wracking experience, and the anxiety can start long before they make it into the office. As a result, many people skip out on getting much-needed dental care.
If your stomach is in knots at the thought of just setting a dental appointment, you’re in luck. Sedation dentistry can be used to ease your anxiety and stress about sitting in the dentist’s chair.
What Is Sedation Dentistry?
Sedation dentistry is the use of medication on dental patients to help them relax during procedures. Though anesthesia is traditionally reserved for more invasive procedures, many dentists offer sedation dentistry for teeth cleaning visits or other low-level procedures.
Sedation dentistry allows you to undergo any dental procedure, no matter how small, without feeling pain. You probably won’t even remember the procedure after it is finished!
Sedation dentistry can be utilized to different degrees from milder to more intense, depending on the procedure and the needs of the patient. Being able to use sedation dentistry can be a huge relief for many, and that’s why it’s so important to us that we provide this option for our patients.
When you ask for sedation dentistry at Magnolia Dental Care, you receive the following benefits:
- Healthy Teeth: Sedation dentistry can help you overcome your anxiety so you can get the professional dental care you need.
- Stress-Free Dental Care: Enjoy visiting our office when you use our sedation options! We can make the experience pleasant and comfortable for you.
- Gag Relief: Sometimes we get patients with an oversensitive gag reflex. Sedation dentistry can relax your mouth and throat muscles so you won’t gag as easily.
Sedation Dentistry vs. Anesthesia?
Don’t get confused. Sedation dentistry is not going to put you completely to sleep, though it may make you feel relaxed enough that you can. Though they may seem similar, sedation dentistry and anesthesia are very different:
- Anesthesia is intended to remove the sensation of the procedure for the patient. Sometimes this can be while the patient is conscious, like the numbing agent we inject for filling a cavity; this can also put the patient entirely to sleep like for oral surgery.
- Sedation is used to relax the patient. While it can be used alongside anesthesia, we use sedation dentistry medications to make our patients comfortable, more than focusing on the removal of pain.
Sedation Dentistry Recovery Time
Sedation dentistry is most frequently used on anxious patients for routine procedures that do not generally warrant anesthesia.
It is not uncommon to experience side effects like drowsiness, sluggishness, slow reflexes, low blood pressure, or headaches after dental sedation. None of these potential side effects are any reason for alarm, but you can always contact the dental office with your concerns. These symptoms should fade in a few hours.
For 24 hours after sedation, you should not drive a car or operate heavy machinery in any way. You may feel absolutely fine and normal sooner than twenty-four hours, but you can still be affected by the sedation.
Do All Dentists Offer Sedation Dentistry?
Sedation dentistry is becoming more and more common in many dental practices. Nearly all dentists will offer low-level sedation like nitrous oxide or sedation pills.
At Magnolia Dental, our aim is to help each patient achieve the level of health and beauty that they desire while taking into account their overall physical and emotional health. Our team is trained to meet the needs of each unique patient.
Curb Dental Anxiety Today
If you’re scared to come to the dentist, that’s completely normal! Don’t let anxiety ruin your teeth. Contact our team to ask about how sedation dentistry can fit into your personal dental care plan!
