Do you dread going to the dentist? Does the thought of having dental work such as a root canal fill you with fear and anxiety? It should not. There are now so many good options for both relaxation and pain relief, there is no reason to fear the dentist.
If you are having a minor dental procedure such as a filling, local anesthesia may be enough to give you the pain relief you need. Topical anesthetics can be applied to the tissues of the mouth to prevent pain on the surface level. Your dentist may swab you mouth with a topical anesthetic to numb the site before administering injectable anesthetics. Injectable local anesthetics are used to prevent pain in a specific area of your mouth while you are receiving dental treatment. They work by numbing the tissues in your mouth and blocking the nerves that sense and transmit pain.
If you are having a more complicated dental procedure or if you have a dental phobia or a severe gag reflex, you may need or want to have more than just local anesthesia. In this case, Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas) or oral sedatives may be used along with local anesthetics to keep you relaxed and comfortable while you are receiving dental treatment. Your dentist can use these medications to induce minimal or moderate sedation where you achieve a relaxed state but can still respond to speech or touch.
It is important to talk with your dentist about your fears and anxiety level as well as your medical history before you receive dental treatment. This will help you and your dentist to decide the level of pain relief/sedation that is most appropriate for you.
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