Sedation dentistry- a simple way to manage dental anxiety and fear

It is not uncommon for people to get all anxious before a visit to a dentist regardless of the nature of the check-up. These fears often keep you from seeing a dentist and can, therefore, affect your oral health adversely. The good news is that now you can dream through a dental procedure with sedation dentistry.

So, what is sedation dentistry?

Using anaesthetic drugs during a treatment to relax/calm the patient is also called sleep dentistry or conscious sedation dentistry. During this procedure a patient can be put in a conscious sedative sleep state or an unconscious sedative sleep state depending on the requirement of the procedure/patient. There are two prime advantages of the procedure. You can be completely relaxed during a procedure and you can also save time by getting multiple required procedures done at the same time, which would otherwise take you a number of different visits.

Types of sedations used in dentistry

• IV sedation – IV or intravenous sedation is a form of moderate sedation during which the sedative drug is administered through a vein or intravenously. It is one of the very safe methods of sedation where you may experience deep conscious sedation. This process allows your dentist to monitor and continuously adjust the level of sedation. Once the drug gets into your bloodstream, which is very quick, you may feel relaxed, a bit drowsy or may completely fall asleep. The extent of relaxation depends on the dose of the drug.
• Gaseous sedation – During gaseous sedation, a patient inhales nitrous oxide, commonly known as  ‘laughing gas’ combined with oxygen through a mask placed on the nose. Your dentist can control the extent of sedation   according to his requirement. The advantage of this method is that the effect of gas wears off quite fast.
• Oral sedation – Oral sedation can range from minimal to moderate sedation. For minimal sedation, the patient takes a pill prescribed by the dentist. These pills usually take about 30-60 minutes to act. The patient usually feels drowsy after taking the drug but will still be awake. You’ll still be able to move to any verbal request your dentist asks. 
• General anaesthesia – It is a drug induced general state of unconsciousness where a patient is completely asleep without being able to move as per the dentist’s requests. This type of sedation usually takes place in a hospital or used by an experienced oral maxillofacial surgeon. It is often considered the last resort in sedation dentistry.

Sedation dentistry ensures a physical state of complete relaxation with only one requirement, that you’ll need somebody to drive you home after the procedure.

To know more about sedation dentistry, contact Green Meadow Dental at 3579 B Berlin Turnpike, Newington, CT 06111, (860)- 865- 0056.Many people from Plainville come to our office because we are conveniently located next to Target. Our flexible hours and family dental practice makes it easy for busy families to schedule visits for both parents and children.We also serve patients from surrounding areas like East Berlin, Southington and Hartford.