Sedation Dentistry: What It's Used For And How It Can Benefit You
There are many reasons you may be considering a dental visit with sedation. Sedation has many benefits, for both the patient and the dentist. Below are three ways in which sedation dentistry can help improve your dental experience.
Sedation Means Even the Most Anxious Patients Can Get Treatment
Dental phobia affects between 9% and 20% of the American population. If you suffer from dental phobia, while you know your fear is irrational, you probably avoid the dentist at all costs. This can result in poor dental health and dental pain, which only increases your feelings of anxiety.
For such patients, sedation dentistry offers the chance to receive the dental care you need, while putting you at ease. While sedation is reserved for only the most anxious of patients, it's a good idea to talk with your dentist about all options available to you. There are many forms of conscious sedation which still put you at ease, but which avoids all of the possible complications associated with traditional sedation.
Sedation Allows Complex Procedures to be Performed in One Visit
Many patients avoid procedures that require multiple visits. Multiple dental visits can affect work schedules, cost more money, and raise the level of anxiety in usually non-anxious patients.
While some procedures that require multiple steps cannot be performed in a single visit, a few, such as root canals and restorative dentistry, can. These are usually split into multiple visits to decrease patient discomfort—the amount of time required for proper dental care can make any patient uncomfortable. When sedated, patients have no sense of time making lengthy procedures a great time for the use of sedation.
Sedation Means Less Pain and Discomfort, and Better Dental Care
If you're undergoing a particularly painful procedure, or if your teeth and gums are sensitive, your dentist may consider sedation. Sedation allows for your dentist to perform the best dental care possible because they don't have to worry about you feeling any pain or discomfort in the moment.
Certain procedures, such as extraction of wisdom teeth, can usually be done with a local anesthetic, but many dentists prefer to perform this procedure with a sedated patient. Procedures that require cutting or stitching can be particularly uncomfortable, and performing these procedures on an anxious and uncomfortable patient can make it more difficult for the dentist to do their job.
While many people believe that sedation is only for those who are anxious, sedation dentistry has many great uses. Even if the patient isn't anxious, light sedation can still put them at ease and make the procedure less uncomfortable and less painful. Sedation can also be used for lengthy procedures, which means more patients will be willing to undergo such procedures knowing it can all be done in one visit. If you'd like to learn more about sedation dentistry, speak with a dentist (such as one from Valley Oak Dental Group Inc).
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