The day you have always dreaded has come. While you were eating your lunch, you bit into a seed in your apple and one of your teeth cracked. As you sit there looking at it in your hand, dumbfounded, you begin to get anxious. You’ve always been nervous about going to the dentist, which is why you usually take such good care of your teeth. You can’t fix this on your own, however, and your palms start to sweat…
Your dentist in Preston Hollow at Dallas Esthetics feels for you. They never want you to come into the office ready to endure pain. Sedation dentistry has been used for years to help particularly worrisome patients like yourself.
Reasons for Sedation Dentistry
Millions of people avoid going to the dentist every year because of dental anxiety. This can come from either their past experience or the perceived idea that the dentist will hurt them. Sedation dentistry specifically helps patients in this situation. It can’t completely take away anxious thoughts, but it can make them much more manageable. Sedation dentistry also allows your dentist to perform a variety of procedures without causing you discomfort. This makes it easier for many people to get the dental care they need. Drs. Higginbottom, Derksen, and Fesler have two main ways they can sedate patients.
Nitrous Oxide
Also known as “laughing gas,” nitrous oxide is the ideal method of sedation for patients with moderate anxiety who are undergoing a routine check-up and cleaning. A mask is placed over the nose of the patient and they only need to breathe normally. The effects of the gas can be felt in less than a minute, and it usually brings on a warm, comforting sensation. The patient will still be awake, but completely relaxed physically and mentally. Once the procedure is over, the mask is removed and the patient should feel normal within in a minute, able to go on with their day.
IV Sedation
Patients who experience more severe anxiety or need to have multiple procedures done in one visit may elect to have IV sedation. In this case, an anesthesiologist will administer a sedative intravenously. After an area on the arm has been disinfected, a painless injection will start the actual sedation process. IV sedation is much deeper and faster acting that nitrous oxide. It is also more flexible and enables your dentist to adjust the sedation level throughout the procedure. While you may remain conscious during the procedure, many patients fall completely asleep and have no memory of it afterward. IV sedation enables the team at Dallas Esthetics to take care of the most sensitive of patients with ease. Due to the strength of IV sedation, it is advised that a family member or someone close to you drive you to and from the office the day of the procedure, as well as keep an eye on you for the rest of the day. The effects of the sedation should wear off by the next morning.
Want to Know More?
If you still have questions about sedation dentistry and what it could do for you, please call us today at Dallas Esthetics. We will always listen to your concerns and do everything we can to make sure your visit with us is a pleasant one.
