Sedation Dentistry
Nearly 30% of Americans are afraid of the dentist. They avoid dental care at all costs,
even when they are in pain or discomfort. But it no longer has to be that way. Modern dentistry offers safe, effective, and comfortable treatments to anxious and fearful patients.
Once you have made the decision to discuss dental treatment with oral sedation with Colchester Dental Group, we will discuss your complete health history. Smoking, alcohol consumption amd certain medical conditions can affect how your body responds to sedation.
Oral Sedation
Usually oral sedation is used to relieve anxiety before a dental appointment. The most common oral sedation technique is the use of anti-anxiety pills such as benzodiazepines. These pills are typically prescribed by a dentist to be taken the night before an appointment to reduce stress and ensure rest.
The benzodiazepine options for oral sedation are broken down into two categories: Sedative hypnotics and anti-anxiety drugs. Different benzodiazepines are designed to focus on specific areas of the brain. Sedative-hypnotic benzodiazepines induce a calming effect, including drowsiness. Anti-anxiety drugs have the primary purpose of keeping the patient calm.
Preparing for your Sedation/Anxiety-Free Visit
We'll give you a prescription for a sedative to take the night before your first appointment to guarantee a good night's sleep and also on the day of your appointment to be sure that you are calm and relaxed during your dental visit. In fact, most patients fall asleep during their sedation visit but can be easily woken up if we need you to open wider, check your bite or take an X-ray. It is also not unusual for people who have taken oral sedation to forget about all or most of their dental visit.
Oral sedation is especially good for people who are anxious about going to the dentist or who would like a lot of work done at once.
Read more about premedication.
Arriving for Treatment
A companion should bring you, and plan on driving you home.
Once you arrive at our office for your treatment, we begin by admininstering an appropriate oral sedative, which does not require the use of additional needles. Medications can be swallowed whole and/or crushed and administered by your dentist sublingually (under the tongue). Medications given sublingually are absorbed into the bloodstream quicker, so it is a preferred option by many dentists. Both methods are safe and effective.
Your experienced sedation team will monitor you throughout your entire visit.
Appropriately trained dentists can perform a variety of protocols customized to your particular physiological and pharmacological needs. Several have amnesic properties, meaning that you remember little to nothing of your time in the dental chair.
While these methods and medications cannot make fear magically disappear, they can give you the confidence and peace-of-mind to experience dental procedures in a whole new way. Hours pass like mere minutes and more dentistry can be performed in a single visit because the dentist is able to work more efficiently. It is a win-win for both you and your dentist.
Nitrous Oxide, or laughing gas, is one of the most frquently utilized sedation tools. Click here for more information.
Going home with your new smile
Your health history can effect your before and after care plans, especially for diabetics and smokers, so make sure your dentist knows about any medical conditions your may have. For sedation visits, the remainder of the day should be taken off. Someone must drive you to and from your dental visit. Be sure to stay hydrated and drink lots of fluids. You should not drive or operate heavy machinery for the rest of the day.
The next day
Most patients feel no discomfort or residual effects from the dental visit and you'll be thrilled with all the compliments you will get.
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