Sediation Dentistry in Garner, North Carolina

Dentists are scary to a lot of people.  Many procedures are highly invasive and painful surgeries and nobody actually wants to be awake for them – though some procedures, as simple as they are, are enough to trigger someone’s dental phobia.  For these procedures and for people that are highly terrified of a visit to the dentist’s office, Sedation Dentistry is a highly attractive option.

What is Sedation Dentistry?  Sedation Dentistry is a stress-free way to get the dental care everyone needs, and that thirty percent of people refuse to get because they are that terrified of visiting the dentist.  It is the use of various sedatives to make the patient become calm and relaxed.

What are some examples of sedatives?  Various tranquilizers, depressants, anti-anxiety medications, and nitrous oxide are all possible sedatives.  They can be administered directly into the bloodstream with an IV, inhaled by the patient, or the patient can take a pill.

Due to the ease of Sedation Dentistry on both patient and dentist, this method is quite common in North America.

There are two methods of numbing pain: local anesthetic and sedation.  A local anesthetic gets rid of pain in one area, such as the left side of the face, while sedation dulls all sensations of pain and pretty much everything else.  Most procedures will make use of both.

Are there any methods to sedation dentistry?  Aside from making appointments easier on the patient (and the dentist), Sedation Dentistry also makes the procedure feel as if it took much less time than what it actually did.  It removes the painful aspect of most procedures and reduces stress.

Patients are unable to drive after this treatment, however, so it is necessary to make arrangements for transportation after the appointment, and for someone to stay with the patient until the sedative wears off, just in case.

A patient receiving Sedation Dentistry can opt to be put under general anesthesia, which requires a trained anesthesiologist, and means that the patient is not conscious during the procedure.  There are mild risks with general anesthetic, so please consult your doctor prior to opting for this.  Otherwise, a patient can take a sedative that makes them less conscious than normal (but still awake), or anti-anxiety medication (such as “laughing gas”).

So, if you know someone that is terrified of seeing the dentist to get those impacted wisdom teeth dealt with, or that filling put in, or even to have some cleaning done, suggest Sedation Dentistry to them.  They can be in and out of their appointment before they know it, and they will not have a chance to be afraid – or, if they do have that chance, it will not last long!  Just relax.