I Wanna Be Sedated - Sedation Dentistry Keeps Your From Freaking Out At The Dentist's Office

Sedation dentistry is a new method that helps you deal with fear of the dentist. How serious is this phobia? For many Americans, painful memories of drills and fingers in mouths create in us a terrible anxiety about visiting the dentist. This fear is estimated to affect about 1/3 of the US population. The result of this is that we put off getting our regular check-ups - or we don't go at all. The result is gingivitis, tooth decay and a whole host of easily preventable problems. We may not admit it, but we're so terrified of the dentist, we'd rather let our teeth go to pot than have a check-up every six months. This is not even to mention when you've got serious work that needs to be done like a root canal.

Now, for those of us who are afraid to get in the chair, there's sedation dentistry. This technique gets the patient into a totally relaxed state before the dentist starts to work by using sedatives. You are awake and conscious, but relaxed. Aside from sedatives, many dentists use deep breathing and other techniques to help you get into a relaxed, anxiety-free state. This makes your visit a pleasant and fear-free experience.

How Are You Sedated? Until recently, the most common methods were inhalation (nitrous oxide) and intra venous (IV) sedation. Both methods were effective, but they have major downsides. Nitrous oxide poses health risks, and the IV was shown to cause more anxiety for many patients. Using an IV makes people feel like they're undergoing a major operation, which causes undue stress. The latest trend in sedation dentistry is to use sedatives such as tranquilizer pills. This has been shown to produce the best results, carry the least risks and not intimidate patients.

Sedatives are taken about an hour before the appointment starts. The effects are felt within minutes and stress is effectively reduced. Some clinics perform pre-appointment deep breathing techniques also to help their patients relax.

Are You A Candidate? If the sights, sounds and smells of a dentists' office cause feelings of anxiety for you, you're probably an ideal candidate for sedation dentistry. For some people, it is difficult to sit through an entire dental check-up. They may feel a little shaky going in, but once they start poking around in their mouth, they start to lose control. If it is difficult for you to make it through the check-up, or these behavioral issues keep you from following dentists' instructions, it might be just for you.

One more requirement is that you're in good overall health. Cases where patients have an allergy to sedatives are relatively rare. The risk is about the same as using any type of anesthesia. However, because there is some risk, all patients are first carefully screened to make sure there won't be any problems. One thing to be careful about, though, is that you'll be a little out of it after the check-up. The effects may last as much as six hours, which means that you'll have to have a friend drive you home. The effects wear off gradually and then you're completely back to normal.

For many folks, sedation dentistry is just what they need to get them back into regular check-ups, and that means they're on the road to having healthy, well-maintained teeth the rest of their life.