Relax at the Dentist with Oral Conscious Sedation
If you experience extreme anxiety around even just the notion of visiting the dentist, you’re not alone. Dental anxiety affects many of patients, leading many to neglect their oral health, develop more serious dental problems, and then require dental procedures and care that are much more complicated and expensive than a simple professional cleaning and examination.
How Oral Conscious Sedation Helps You Get to the Dentist and Through Your Appointment
Patients who have anxiety associated with visiting the dentist can hardly imagine a reality where they can get a teeth cleaning and examination without experiencing any stress — and even while being completely relaxed. This peaceful experience at the dentist’s office, however, can be a reality for all patients thanks to sedation dentistry.
Oral conscious sedation uses prescription medications to calm and relax a patient. Patients usually take these medications before arriving at their dental appointment, meaning the relaxation begins before they even get in the car. Since these oral sedatives are quite potent, sedation dentistry patients should arrange for safe transportation to and from their appointments.
Types of Oral Conscious Sedation
There are two levels of oral conscious sedation available to dental patients:
- Light – This is a very minimal form of sedation, usually achieved using nitrous oxide (laughing gas). Light sedation helps a patient relax throughout his or her appointment, while the patient remains alert and completely awake. Patients under light sedation will be able to communicate and remember everything that occurs during the appointment.
- Moderate – Under moderate sedation, patients — although sleepy and deeply relaxed — remain conscious throughout their appointments. Patients sometimes become so relaxed under moderate sedation that they fall asleep. With moderate sedation, patients will be able to communicate, but often do not remember much of their examinations. Most commonly, moderate sedation is achieved using prescription medications taken orally prior to a patient's appointment. Sometimes, oral conscious sedation can also be administered using intravenous medications.
Schedule a Sedation Dentistry Appointment with Schaffer Dental Excellence
If fear of the dentist and anxiety around dental procedures keeps you from getting the regular professional dental care you need, we strongly encourage you to consider a sedation dentistry appointment. Neglecting your oral health can lead to preventable health problems like tooth decay, gum disease, infections, pain, difficulty eating, tooth loss, and even more severe systemic health problems, such as heart disease.
With sedation dentistry, you can keep up with your oral health care without dealing with the familiar stress and anxiety. For more information regarding sedation dentistry services at Schaffer Dental Excellence or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Samir Merchant, we welcome you to contact our office today.
