subject: Your Guide To Sleep Dentistry In San Diego [print this page] More people than ever are interested in sleep dentistry in San Diego, and the good news is that there are different options available to put people more at ease when it comes time for them to have dental work done. The mouth is an extremely sensitive part of the body, and pain is easily found when something in the mouth goes awry. This may be why so many people have such intense fears of going to see the dentist. Contrary to popular belief, sleep dentistry does not usually mean that the patient is put to sleep, although it could.
For the most part, it involves relaxing the patients to relieve anxiety that is experienced before a procedure, so sometimes it is more accurately referred to as sedation dentistry. There are generally three options for people to choose from when it comes to sleep dentistry: oral sedation, inhalation sedation and intravenous sedation. The simplest method of course is the oral method, and is also the most commonly given. A sedative is given to the patient about 30 minutes to one hour before the appointment, and this is used to relax the patient and dispel some of the anxiety that the patient may suffer from. When this type of sedation is used someone must be available to transport the patient to and from the appointment.
The second type of sleep dentistry involves inhaling nitrous oxide, more commonly known as laughing gas. You will have a small mask placed over your nose that will administer regulated amounts of the nitrous oxide to you before and during the procedure. The effects are similar to oral sedatives, except they wear off after use is discontinued for only a few minutes. Most people are able to drive themselves home when this method is used. Some people use both the laughing gas and an oral sedative together, which is fine and fairly commonplace to do.
Finally intravenous methods are sometimes used for sleep dentistry. This used to be the predominant method for dentistry in the past, but since many patients who fear the dentist also fear needles, the popularity of this method leaves much room for improvement. One excellent benefit to this method over the others is that it takes effect very quickly, almost instantly for the patient. If you fear that you will be extremely nervous when it comes time for your dental appointment, talk to your dental professional about which type of sleep dentistry method would be best to help you.
by: Phoenix Delray
welcome to Insurances.net (https://www.insurances.net)
