Pain And Fear-free Dentistry
The introduction of safe new techniques has successfully removed fear and pain from the once scary dental appointment
. Now that professional sedation dentistry has become readily available, the reasons for dental phobia are gone. This new type of painless dentistry not only allays fear and anxiety, it also allows for several different treatments to be administered during one relaxed visit, a great time-saver in these busy days. Moreover, although the procedure may actually have taken an hour or more, sedation dentistry makes it seem as though it lasted only a few minutes.
During the procedure, the patient receives one or more treatments prior to the actual dental work. These techniques induce deep relaxation and allow for many formerly painful procedures to be done with absolutely no discomfort. Whether being fitted for dentures, implants, an extraction, cosmetic dentistry or orthodontics, a deep cleaning, a crown or a filling; the calming presence of a professional sedation dentist is the gentlest way to allay dental phobia.
Sedation dentistry puts a patient into a soothing dream-like state from which they often awake with no memory of the experience. There are several methods of inducing this effect, including oral sedation, intravenous injection, and inhalation. In the case of oral sedation, the dentist prescribes an anti-anxiety drug to be taken either the night before or several hours prior to the appointment. Depending on various factors, these drugs can produce different sedative effects, from mild relaxation to sleep. Sleep medications like Ambien and Phenergen are most commonly administered to the most anxious patients.
Intravenous (IV) sedatives are delivered at the time of the appointment. These involve the insertion of a catheter into a vein in either the arm or the back of the hand through which an injectable form of medication is administered. After the sedative takes effect, the patient falls asleep and a local anesthesia is injected into the site of the procedure. For deeper sedation and pain relief combined, narcotics may be substituted for milder sedatives. When using these medications, a patient's vital signs (heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen level and breathing rate) are constantly monitored by trained personnel.
Probably the most well-known dental sedative is nitrous oxide, or "laughing gas". A device like an oxygen mask is placed over the patient's nose and mouth and the gas is breathed in. The effect is a pleasant floating sensation that "removes" one from any sensation of pain. Vitals are also monitored during the administration of nitrous oxide.
Except in the case of intravenous sedation, the patient remains awake during the procedure and is able to communicate with the dentist and his assistants. However, these drugs generally produce some amnesia, so that a patient might think he slept through the whole thing.
Side effects are generally mild and may include dry mouth and a short bout of hiccups. The good news is that post-operative pain is generally greatly reduced or completely absent. To date, there have not been any reports of adverse effects, so there is no longer a reason to neglect your oral health by postponing that visit to the dentist.
by: Stephen Daniels
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