Have you ever wondered what it might be like to sleep through your next dental appointment? Sedation dentistry might make that possible. This process in the dental field is a way for sedation dentists to calm the fears of patients who are afraid of needles, afraid of other aspects of dentistry, or experience overwhelming anxiety around the idea of receiving dental or medical treatment.
Dentists give patients a sedative the night before a procedure and then follow that up with more sedative drugs on the day of the procedure. The patients are awake but not completely responsive during the procedure. Conscious sedation dentistry gives them the freedom of being unaware of their own fears but cognizant of some things going on around them. In the Middle Ages and 18th century, this luxury was not available to patients. They endured harsh procedures like bloodletting or tooth extraction without anesthesia – until early practitioners like Connecticut dentist Horace Wells began using laughing gas with his patients in the mid-19th century. Thankfully, oral sedation dentistry and dental medicine have evolved to give patients options not previously available to them.
Currently, the dental industry seems to be focused on tooth appearance rather than pain management. In the last decade, the world has seen the introduction of home tooth whitening systems, making it easier for the average person to take care of the appearance of his teeth. It is important to note, however, that a good appearance does not always indicate a healthy set of teeth. Dentists are just as necessary now as they have been over centuries, and sedation in dentistry plays a vital role in dentists being able to perform their jobs.
If you are a patient who dreams of being able to walk into the office of a dentist without quaking through a procedure, sedative dentistry has created ways for you to manage your fear. You can opt for minimal, moderate or deep sedation during your procedure. Each level of sedation triggers different states of awareness. Obviously, in deep sedation, you are aware of very little and probably will not remember much of the procedure when it is done. In some extreme anxiety cases, it becomes necessary to use IV sedation dentistry and ensure the patient is calmed quickly and sometimes unconscious. You and your dentist will always team to decide which sedation process is best for you.
Sedation dentistry takes the focus off needles and other things that might trigger phobias. You can relax and simply think about how much healthier you mouth is when you are done. Perhaps it is best to think about this in terms of having a long dream that you cannot remember. When you awake, you are in a world in which you smile a little bit brighter than before.