Sedation Dentist: The Basics
Are you feeling nervous about going to a dental office to have your teeth worked on? Does the sight of a hypodermic needle make your jaw clench in fear? If either of these situations described you, consider going to a sedation dentist.
A sedation dentist is someone who believes in sedating clients to help them through frightening or nervous situations. Mainly,
the sedative provides a way to calm the patient enough to allow the dental staff to perform necessary work. There are many different types of sedatives, with oral sedatives being the most commonly used.
When a patient experiencing anxiety goes to a dentistry office that does not practice with sedatives, often the appointment ends in frustration. The doctor is unable to treat the patient, who may be experiencing real pain from a cavity or other ailment. While the patient knows the dental work needs to be done, because of their phobia, they cannot control their anxiety.
Often, when a patient with severe dental phobia approaches a sedation dentist, there will likely need to be a full medical evaluation of the patient before agreeing to sedate them. The medical evaluation needs to suggest that the person will react well to sedating. Sedatives may not be used on certain patients due to health reasons.
After a dentistry office gets the approval from the patient’s primary care physician, an appointment will be made. During the appointment, the dental staff will go over each procedure and what the patient can expect. These explanations are a necessary step in the whole process of overcoming the phobia.
Once a patient has heard the explanations and understands the sedative process, they are ready for their actual dental work. The sedation dentist will have chosen the sedative that is right for the patient and will have already explained to them what to expect. Most of the oral sedatives will leave no memory of the actual procedure.
Although there may be some residual pain following the appointment, the patient will experience no pain or discomfort during the dental work. After the patient has begun feeling the effects of the sedative, or is completely unconscious, the dental staff will numb the gum or tooth with anesthesia.
When the patient wakes up from the sedative, they may be extremely groggy. It is necessary for any patient having received sedatives to have a caregiver, spouse or parent with them. A person having just undergone dental surgery may not realize that they are incapacitated, but under no circumstances should they leave the dentist’s office unaccompanied.
While sedatives in dentistry have transformed the way patients feel about their dental work, it is not for everyone. If you feel sedatives can help you get the dental work that you have been missing for years, do a little research and find a sedation dentist in your area. Make an appointment and talk to them about your fears. They will be able to chat with you about the different sedatives they use in their office and whether it would be a good choice for you.
