Dental Sedation- Making dentistry pain and fear-free! A good dentist numbs your nerves and takes away all your dental fears! People anticipate pain and fear even before the visit to a dental clinic, which is quite understandable because going to a dentist can be an overwhelming experience for many as dental anxiety encapsulates their thoughts. And, it just does not happen with you or me, the majority of people neglect their dental health and delay their treatments, leading to a plethora of dental problems. The environment of a dental clinic comes as something scary for many. The anxiety-triggering sounds from the dental instruments, making-the-patient jump needles, the thought of pain before and during dental treatment are not very welcoming for the patients. However, dentists try their best to alleviate dental anxiety and fear by taking help from sedation dentistry, which is a lifesaver for people. Keep reading to know how sedation can help you in experiencing a fearless and pain-free dental treatment!

Sedation Dentistry- What is in store for you? With dental sedation, things that do not feel, your mind will never see, making your dental experience pain and anxiety-free! The pain that can make you uneasy, sleepless, and wanting to jump off the cliff; please don’t do that, is a toothache. It is the worst of all because pain is either physical or mental, but the one that is both plus emotional is dental pain! Hence, getting it treated right away is the best you can do for yourself. It is a well-known fact that a person’s overall health depends on their oral health, hence maintaining good oral hygiene with regular dental exams and check-ups can never be stressed enough. As we advance towards a more technologically innovative era with people better aware of their treatment options, dentistry is becoming painless and anxiety-free. These days when you visit a clinic, with all sorts of negative thoughts, the dentist will talk you out of the fear by informing you about sedation and how you can be awake yet with an unconscious mind during the treatment, meaning you will know what’s happening to you, but will not feel a thing!

Unlike general anesthesia, sedation dentistry is referred to as “conscious sedation” or when you get “monitored anesthesia care.” Sedation allows a patient to feel comfortable and mentally relaxed, pain-free and stress-free yet conscious in the dental chair. The best part about sedation is not being completely aware of what is happening, which helps them forget about most aspects of the procedure, making them recover better. People often take dental anxiety lightly, however, it is an illness like any other and needs to be treated while eliminating the cause, which is why the dentists today consider using dental sedation after a detailed history from the patient and informing them about the whole procedure because the patient’s concerns are the priority.

Here are several reasons that lead to dental anxiety: *The sight of dental instruments *Fear of strangers or a dentist *Bad dental experience in the past *Traumatic healing after a dental procedure

Dental Sedation- Is it helpful? People are often skeptical about dental sedation; because it is a fact the more you know, the more you are curious! Although you know things before you visit the dentists, it is always best to hear it from them. A dentist may recommend or sometimes even the patient may request dental sedation themselves due to a plethora of reasons:

*Get comfortable in the dental chair *Sedation subsides the pain *Sedation helps with the gag reflex (the feeling of throwing up) *The dentist tends to work faster and more efficiently as the patient is mentally relaxed and does not cause delays during the treatment *Dental sedation allows the dentist to perform multiple dental treatments in one visit

Dental Sedation- What options do you have? Dental sedation can make people skip a beat if they are unaware of it and consider it unsafe. Hence, patient education is mandatory because the patient gets stress-free the moment the dentist handles their fear with care. A dentist will inform you about different dental sedation methods and let you decide:

Gas Inhalation: Nitrous oxide, you might know it as laughing gas, is most commonly used for dental sedation. However, it offers only minimal sedation, so it is recommended for short dental procedures and patients with low or mild anxiety levels. Oral Sedation: in cases where inhalation does not work, the patients can be given oral drugs to take a night before coming in for the treatment or on the same morning. IV sedation: it is the quickest method to instantly sedate patients who have high anxiety levels and are at risk of getting a panic attack.

Dental Sedation- Is it safe? You would witness people jump out of the dental chair because they become edgy at the thought of sedative drugs getting into them, maybe you have done that too. Well, you are not alone. Some people consider dental sedation unsafe, and they cannot be more wrong. After much study and research, it has been concluded that drugs used for dental sedation are safe and have no long-term side effects. However, when the effect of dental sedation starts to wear off, the patient might experience a “hangover.” Feeling drowsy, a headache, slight numbness, low blood pressure, and forgetfulness about what happened in the clinic are minor side effects that go away as soon as the drug is entirely excreted from the body.

Dental Sedation- In a nutshell! Do not fear dental sedation, for it is a blessing in disguise! Trust me, every single tooth in your mouth is way more valuable than a diamond, because you can get more diamonds, but no wealth in this world can buy you a natural tooth (close to it is what you get!). Hence, if you have been neglecting oral care due to anxiety and fear, talk to your dentist about dental sedation!