Gone are the days when one used to be scared of visiting a dentist for fear of excruciating pain he would cause while treating the teeth
. With sedation dentistry being the order of the day, one can be rest assured with an easy surgery for ones teeth. So, time to get rid of dental phobia as sedation dentistry puts a patient in a sleep-like state, so a little is felt or remembered in the procedure.
Sedation dentistry refers to the use of anesthesia during dental treatments to put patients into a relaxed state. The procedure is used during treatments that require extensive time. The procedure is mostly used for children, who mostly exhibit dental phobia and have difficulty in controlling their movements.
The different types and degrees of dental sedation depend on techniques recommended by a dentist who is treating a patient. The dentist decides if the patient is a candidate for moderate sedation with oral sedatives or nitrous oxide or stronger sedatives with intravenous drugs. IV sedation is safe and effective if administered by a trained doctor. With growing technology, sedation dentistry has become more conducive to being a relaxing rather than a horrific experience. Patients have alternatives to the traditional modalities of inhalation such as those offering a needleless approach that many people find more appealing. Oral sedation dentistry has become a common practice in many countries including United States and Canada to quell patient fears. It maintains a level of consciousness in a patient while the treatment is being done safely.
Few advantages of dental inhalation sedation include
1.It works well for mild to moderate anxiety
2.It has a rapid Onset
3.Its flexible duration can be used for any appointment length
4.It has an absolute control. It is easy to quickly control the level of sedation which may be altered moment to moment.
5.People recover quickly from it
6.It has very few side effects
7.There is an analgesic effect
8.One can drive themselves to and from a dental appointment
9.One can return to normal activities immediately
Major benefits of sedation dentistry includes a calm treatment by the doctor as the patient remains quiet and feels the procedure has lasted only a few minutes, when in fact it might have taken hours to perform. Therefore, complex procedures including smile makeovers or jaw reconstruction surgeries that normally require multiple visits can often be performed in fewer appointments.