Published in December 10th, 2011
Advertisements
You’re sitting in the dentist’s chair. The bright light is drying out your eyes, your mouth is dry, and they haven’t even started your cleaning. You wonder if you’ve flossed enough. Do you have a cavity? Will they mock your oral hygiene routine? Will a piece of dental equipment break off and lodge itself in your throat, ending your life and causing your family heartache and distress? Will the chair you’re in suddenly catch fire, leaving you to burn in a state of utter terror?
Maybe your anxiety about the dentist isn’t that bad, but many people are afraid of the dentist. He or she is just there to help you, making sure your pearlies are as pearly white as they can be and preventing you from developing tooth decay and gingivitis, but you fear him or her more than spiders, clowns, or serial killers. In fact, many people are so afraid of the dentist that they forego the twice-annual cleaning and let that plaque just build up on their teeth, putting them at risk for dental woes, as well as a host of other, more life-threatening illnesses.
Lucky for those people, someone savvy created sedation dentistry. What is it? How does it work? How does it benefit the anxious dental patient?
What it Is
It is the sedation (via tranquilizers, anti-anxiety meds, or just straight knock-out gas) of a dental patient so that they sleep (or float) their way through the dental work. This is very important to the 30 percent or more of Americans who get completely freaked out by dental visits.
How Does It Work?
There are a few different methods involved with sedation dentistry. In earlier days, the only way a dentist’s office would sedate a patient was through an IV-administered sedative. That’s great if all you fear is the dentist, but terrible if you also fear needles – and many people do. IV sedation is still used today in some cases, but there are other methods of sedation that are more appealing to those who can’t stand needles.
One way to achieve the sedation required for sedation dentistry is nitrous oxide, commonly called “laughing gas.” You might have visions of Steve Martin in Little Shop of Horrors when you think about this method, but administered safely in a dentist’s office, this is a safe, needle-free way to achieve oblivion during your visit.
The most popular form of sedation dentistry involves oral sedation, which is simply the oral administration of a sedative to alleviate the anxiety involved with a dental visit. The only downside to this type of sedation is the possibility that the drug used could interact with something that you’re already taking, or you could have an allergy to it. Make sure you ask your dentist what drug they use – Valium, Halcion, Sonata, Ativan, and Vistaril are the most commonly used – so that you can check with your doctor to make sure it is safe for you to receive that medication.
Thanks to these advances in dental practices, many people are getting the dental care they have previously avoided.
Make your next dentist appointment with the Midlothian Dentist from http://www.commonwealth-dentistry-midlothian-va.com/
Related posts:
- Overland Park Metro Dentists Use Sedation to Take the Bite ... Lots of people wish they could sleep through their dental appointment, rather than endure potential discomfort or the sound of the dentist’s drill. Sedation dentistry is working to take the bite out of dental fear. “Fear of pain keeps a number of people from visiting the dentist regularly,’” said Overland Park cosmetic dentist Dr. Alberto [...]...
- Can a Sedation Dentist Open the Door to Better General ... Do you have anxiety or fear about dental treatment? You are not alone – studies suggest that about 3 out of 4 Americans experience some degree of dental anxiety. The worst part, however, is that 5-10% of Americans go without needed dental treatment because of it! Hopefully, though, the more prevalent use of sedation dentistry [...]...
- Why People Are Afraid of Dentists Are you afraid of going to the dentist? If so, you are far from alone. People often list going to the dentist as one of their top fears. As a matter of fact, some people fear going to the dentist so much that they skip the procedure altogether and neglect their dental care. This can [...]...
- All Eyes on the Beverly Hills Sedation Dentist Welcome to Beverly Hills. A land filled with trendsetters and headline makers who generate gossip like no other. The place where you can find the hottest celebrities, the latest fashion and perhaps the best doctors and dentists that can make you feel and look just like your favorite a star. From cosmetic surgeons to a [...]...
- You Can Go See A Sedation Dentist If You Experience Any ... For some people, going to a dental appointment is a dreadful experience. Sensitive to pain in general, the thought of pain in their mouths is too great for them to bear. The actual level of discomfort caused by some dental practices is magnified in their mind many times over. For these individuals, it is much [...]...
- Dentistry Techniques That Won’t Require Sedation Laser dentistry is a totally new paradigm in dental medicine that is rapidly gaining popularity among dental practitioners. Laser treatment makes use of recent advances in laser surgery to produce faster, safer, and less painful treatment techniques that have much less risk than the standard of care. In the following paragraphs we will discuss some [...]...
- Do Not Be Afraid to See Your Lansdale Dentist Although there are many people in Lansdale who have a fear of going to see their dentist, there are some whose fear is true, deep, and phobic. For children, a fear of the dentist or other medical professionals is normal, and many of those children grow to be adults that never outgrow that fear. The [...]...
- Ask the Warrior Dentist: What Kind of Anesthesia is Used in ... Because some of us are especially nervous and fearful in a dentist’s chair – or experience a dentist visit as a high-stress situation – there are many procedures used to help calm us down and keep us relaxed so that we don’t have unnecessary worry or discomfort. And of course when it is time to [...]...
- Dentists Appointments – A Painless Routine Going to the dentist may not be your idea of a relaxing day. It may be the one thing on your to-do list that you will readily cancel if given the opportunity. This can be for good reason. Going to dentists has scared children and adults for years. Many of the lucky ones never to [...]...
- Your Dentist and Your Fear Many people are afraid of dentists. If you fear going to the dentist, rest assured you are not alone. Some turn to alternatives like sedation dentistry to help them overcome this fear. If that is not an option due to finances or allergies, you may want to learn some behavioral things you can do to [...]...
Previous post:
«
Chiropractor Treatments: Cracking Spines and Saving Lives!Next post: Three Fruits That Should be Included in Your Diet »