Patients who are facing a surgical procedure, such as the placement of dental implants or wisdom teeth extraction may have some anxiety in advance of their treatment. Fortunately, sedation dentistry can help these patients relax and better tolerate the procedure.
If your dental anxiety is so severe that it is interfering with your ability to seek treatment, talk to your oral surgeon about your options for sedation dentistry and the benefits of this service. We are happy to answer any questions that you may have about sedation.
Dental Phobia Can Be A Threat to Your Oral Health
Patients can develop dental phobia based on their own previous negative experiences or just from hearing unpleasant stories from friends or family members. Unfortunately, this type of fear can stand in the way of patients having valuable treatment, such as wisdom teeth extraction.
Postponing or avoiding such treatments can have serious consequences for your smile, though. Impacted wisdom teeth can cause discomfort and face greater risk for infection or abscesses, for example. Delaying dental implant placement can lead to bone loss.
In order to minimize the risks to your oral health, consider sedation dentistry to help you overcome any dental fear that might be a barrier to your treatment.
Sedation Dentistry: Increase Your Relaxation During Treatment Procedures
As your oral surgeon, we want to make you as comfortable as possible while you are under our care. That is why we offer sedation to all of our patients, anxious or not. With sedation, we administer drugs that have a deeply relaxing effect, allowing patients to achieve a sleep-like state.
In addition to helping patients feel more relaxed, sedation dentistry offers these other benefits:
- Prevents you from forming any unpleasant memories after the treatment
- Alters your sense of the passage of time, allowing you to endure longer procedures or treatment sessions
- Helps fidgety patients remain still during a procedure
What are my options for sedation dentistry?
Our practice offers a number of delivery options for sedation dentistry. Different methods will be appropriate in different situations, so you should talk to your oral surgeon to determine which one is best for you.
These are the sedation options that we provide:
- Nitrous oxide
- Oral sedation
- IV sedation
Some of these methods may require preparation in advance of the appointment, so be sure that you understand all pertinent instructions prior to your procedure.
Don’t hesitate to ask any questions you may have about sedation dentistry. We want to make sure that you have all of the information you need.