Sedation Dentistry May Help Allay All your Dental Fears

Making regular visits to your dentist is one of the best ways to preserve the health of your teeth and to prevent future, more extensive dental procedures. The thought of going to the dentist creates a great deal of anxiety in some patients, and some people are so fearful of going to a dentist that they simply never go, which only causes their dental problems to worsen.

Now there is a new form of cosmetic dentistry that has made going to the dentist a bearable, if not pleasant experience, for the millions of people who have avoided the dentist for years and years. Sedation dentistry just may be the answer you've been looking for to alleviate the fear and anxiety you experience just thinking about sitting in your dentist' chair.

Sedation dentistry is the perfect solution for most patients who suffer from dental anxiety. Sedation dentistry options can make your next dental visit more relaxing, more comfortable and anxiety-free.

Who Could Benefit from Sedation Dentistry?

· Patients who fear needles
· Patients who have difficulty becoming numb after Novocaine
· Patients requiring multiple dental procedures
· Patients have had bad past experiences at the dentist
· Patients have a strong gag reflex
· Patients suffering from other physical disabilities.

Methods of Sedation

Dentists can use a number of medications to sedate their patients, and many patients assume sedations dentistry means they will be asleep during the procedure. That is usually not the case. Some the most commonly used drugs to sedate dental patients are triazolam, diazepam (Valium), lorazepam (Ativan) zaleoplon (Sonata) and hydroxyzine (Vistaril).

All of these medications have been proven to be safe and effective. Since all of these drugs work in different ways and last for different amounts of time, your cosmetic surgeon will discuss the differences with you and decide which drug is most appropriate for the dental work you are having done that day. Triazolam is the most popular choice because it actually has an amnesiac effect, and patients rarely remember what even happened at their appointment. This drug is especially effective for patients who are afraid of the dentist.

Some of these medications make the patient drowsy enough that he/she will sleep through the procedure. Sometimes the sedative/analgesic is given in pill form and sometimes it is administered intravenously. For obvious reasons, being sedated before their dental procedures are not have someone with them to drive them home from the dentist's office.

Sedation dentistry is not for everyone, but for those who have been avoiding getting their teeth fixed due to fear of the dentist, sedation dentistry is the solution they've been looking for.