Sedation Dentistry - Overcoming Dentist Phobia

By Wesley Lucas

Sedation dentistry is basically the application of soothing tactics like anesthesia to keep patients relaxed during the usually painful act of dental treatment and repairs. People having dentistry phobia, especially children and those required to be in the treatment seat for prolonged periods of time are the ones who are put under sedation by dentists. Sedation does not really mean total sleep, but in dentistry, it is a process of putting the patients under a trance to assuage fear, pain or any uncomfortable feeling.

Before the actual process of treatment starts, the dentist finalizes the type and level of sedation needed for a patient. Deep sedation is induced in many by administering intravenous drugs. But most patients need only moderate sedation with oral sedatives, nitrous oxide etc.

People with dental phobia usually fear the dentist, his office and even the equipment and hesitate to visit a dentist even in acute situations. Some others suffer from dental anxiety, which is a lesser form of dental phobia. In both cases, the patients suffer greatly due to his inability to avail the services of a dentist and the resultant poor dental health. Children also have to be dragged to the dentist against their wishes.

Such people are kept calm and relaxed throughout the treatment process through sedation dentistry. If it is for shorter durations, oral sedatives are more than enough to soothe the frayed nerves of patient. But these are not pain relievers and a local anesthetic is normally injected for the purpose. Intravenous sedation and inhalation also have the same purpose. Dentists use general anesthesia to keep the patient unconscious, if the process is exasperating and time consuming. In such cases, local anesthetic is not needed at all since the patient is completely out of senses.

The impact of sedation dentistry methods differ from person to person. Dentists use nitrous oxide gas or laughing gas for anxiolysis or light sedation. Intravenous sedative can give moderate sedation. Whether it is light sedation or moderate sedation, the patient would be awake. The patient reaches a state between consciousness and unconsciousness induced by deep sedation. Here he remains relaxed and calm, but responds to commands. While conducting oral surgeries, very deep sedation or unconsciousness is achieved by applying anesthesia. - 29879

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