Sedation Dentistry: The Key to Anxiety-Free Dental Visits
Do you know that one out of seven people experience some sort of fear or anxiety whenever they visit the dentist? It may sound silly for the others who don’t feel an iota of apprehension during dental visits. But for those who do, the anxiety is for real. If they can avoid the dentist, they will certainly come up with excuses to skip the dentist appointment, routine dental check-ups included.
Now, imagine missing your dental visits year after year. The possibility of acquiring dental problems due to poor dental hygiene is inevitable. And before you know it, it’s too late. The condition of your teeth has already worsened and as a result, the bad teeth will require a more expensive treatment. So, now you worry about your teeth and the cost associated with the dental procedure. Your dental problems have become more complex and all because you fear the dentist.
Nowadays, anxious patients do not need to go through a discomfiting cycle of fear and discomfort. Sedation dentistry helps in alleviating the pain and the level of anxiety experienced by patients. But before the patient undergoes sedation or sleep dentistry, the treating dentist will evaluate the needs of the patient and devise a treatment plan to tailor-fit the dental requirements of the patient. Only then, the appropriate level of sedation will be determined.
What exactly is sedation dentistry?
Sedation dentistry uses sedative drugs to alleviate the patient’s level of anxiety during the dental procedure. It can be in the form of oral sedation wherein the patient is given a prescribed pill an hour before the treatment. Another alternative is using Nitrous Oxide or “laughing gas”. An inhaler is placed over the patient’s nose allowing the patient to breathe in the laughing gas. This will put the patient in a relaxed state in an instant. Intravenous (IV) sedation involves the use of medications administered intravenously. With this procedure, the patient is hooked up with a blood pressure monitor, heart rate monitor and pulse oximeter, per standard safety procedures. This method is employed by a specialist dentist trained and certified to perform this type of sedation procedure. Intramuscular (IM) sedation employs administering sedative drugs and are injected into the muscle of the upper arm or thigh to produce a relaxed state.
With sedation dentistry, the patient is conscious and aware of his surroundings throughout the procedure. This procedure is prescribed for patients who have light to moderate levels of anxiety.
Only a team of highly specialized dentists, specialists and dental anesthesiologists are allowed to practice sedation and sleep dentistry in the state of Florida. At Plantation area, our team of Fort Lauderdale dentists are trained and certified to practice sedation and sleep dentistry. We use the latest innovation in dental technology and comply with industry-standard safety procedures to care for our patients’ dental health.
