If your fear and anxiety about going to the dentist (dental phobia) is keeping you from getting the dental treatment you need to achieve and maintain optimal oral health, you may be a good candidate for Sedation Dentistry. Sedation Dentistry involves the use of medications to help patients relax during dental procedures. It can be used for everything from invasive procedures to a simple dental cleaning. How and when it is used depends on the severity of the dental phobia.
Many people use the term “Sedation Dentistry” to mean different things. Some use this term to refer to the administration of Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas). Nitrous Oxide, when inhaled, causes you to become more relaxed, yet you are still conscious. The effects of Nitrous Oxide wear off quickly and that is why this type of sedation is the only type where you can actually drive yourself home afterwards. Most of the time, when the term “Sedation Dentistry” is used, it refers to the use of oral sedative medications. These medications cause you to become drowsy and you may even fall asleep, but, you can still be wakened. With oral sedative medications, you may not even remember your dental treatment. If you are having a dental procedure that causes pain, you will also be given a local anesthetic or numbing medication that is applied at the site where the dentist is working in your mouth.
Sedation Dentistry is a great option for patients with dental phobias. It may also be used for patients who have a low pain threshold, can’t sit still in the dentist’s chair, have a severe gag reflex or who have extremely sensitive teeth. It may also be a good option for patients who need to have a large amount of dental work completed at one time.
If your fear of the dentists is keeping you from getting the dental treatment you need, ask your dentist today about Sedation Dentistry. Many dental practices, including Pure Dental Health in Atlanta, offer this important service for patients with dental phobias and other issues that make it difficult to receive dental treatment.
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