Does the thought of having dental work done make your body tense with fear? If so, you are not alone. Many people are so afraid of going to the dentist that they prefer not to have any treatment at all. An alternative is dental sedation: using sedative medicines to ease your pain and anxiety. Today, we offer the three things you probably didn’t know about dental sedation.
Number 1: It is not “the cowards’ way out.”
Anecdotal evidence suggests people view this as “the coward’s way out,” or that is shame associated with this option. However, this treatment could be right for you if you have:
- A complex procedure that could take a very long time
- Have an irrational fear of needles or medical procedures
- Have legitimate mental health conditions that might cause problems
- If you have a desire to “be out of it” and not be aware of the procedure
- You don’t think an empathetic dentist or psychological techniques will help
- Your primary aim is “to get your teeth fixed” as quickly as possible
Number 2: It can be a time saver
For those that require multiple procedures, you could take advantage of dental sedation to save time. By undergoing sedation, you can get all of your dental needs taken care of in a single visit, without the stress of being conscious the whole time.
Number 3: There are different kinds
Oral sedation is where you take a drug from the “benzodiazepine” family. You’ve probably heard of them by their tradenames – for example, Valium, Halcion, Xanax, or Ativan. The drugs come in two main types: Hypnotic drugs induce a calming effect and in higher doses, they induce a state resembling physiological sleep (“hypnosis”); while anti-anxiety drugs just make you more calm.
Nitrous oxide (“laughing gas”) is a colourless, odourless gas that you breathe in. It doesn’t irritate the throat and produces a relaxed feeling.
IV sedation is where a drug is put directly into your blood stream using an IV. This gives partial or full memory loss (amnesia) for the whole time you are under the effect of the drug. Often called “twilight sleep,” this method puts you into a mode of deep relaxation.
If you are interested in having a procedure under sedation in Los Angeles, we can arrange one here.