subject: Relax At Your Next Dental Appointment With Iv Sedation-not Just A Pill [print this page] Sedation dentistry allows those who are too afraid to seek the dental care they need to undergo any number of dental procedures with comfort and ease. Research suggests that around 30% of the population has some degree of fear associated with the dentist. It is the process used to establish a relaxed, easy and calm state through the use of sedatives. The medications create such a comfortable experience that most patients do not remember the visit. It is as if they have slept through the entire treatment.
Sedation Dentistry Advantages
One of the main benefits of sedation dentistry is that people often feel like their dental procedure lasts for only a few minutes, when in fact it might have taken hours to perform. Complex dental procedures such as smile makeovers or extensive rebuilding procedures that normally require multiple visits can often be performed in fewer appointments.
If you are reluctant to change the appearance of your smile because you are afraid or anxious about undergoing long or complicated dental procedures, sedation dentistry can make you feel comfortable during the treatment process and help you achieve a smile you can be proud of.
Since sedation dentistry addresses some of the fears that keep people from going to the dentist on a regular basis, sedation dentistry patients are more likely to receive recommended routine care. As an end result you are less likely to neglect your oral health or allow oral health problems to build to the point when drastic dental treatments become necessary.
Understanding IV Sedation
During IV sedation, an anti-anxiety drug is administered into the bloodstream to achieve a state of "deep conscious sedation." In other words, patients are not deeply sedated, but in twilight sleep and very comfortable. Although patients are not actually asleep, they will enjoy a heightened state of relaxation and may not remember much about the procedure when they are fully awake.
As a result, time will appear to pass very quickly and you will not recall much or even anything at all. It may appear that you were asleep after all. IV sedation is for people who hate the smell and sound of dental offices or cannot tolerate dental tools in their mouth because of a gag reflex or a simple needle phobia. Your Flint and Flushing dentist will be able to help you with these needs.
Benefits of IV Sedation
The benefits of using IV sedation begin with a very rapid onset of action accompanied with a drug dosage or level of sedation that can be tailored to meet the patient's individual needs, making IV sedation both highly effective and highly reliable. Fewer side effects are associated with IV sedation such as nausea, less risk of blood clots and lung complications, and patients recover quicker.
In addition, gag reflex is largely diminished while receiving IV sedation making the patient as comfortable as possible. Unlike general anesthesia, IV sedation allows the patient to cooperate with instructions due to their conscious, relaxed state. As an end result, patients come out of anesthesia rapidly with little grogginess.
If you have dental phobias or anxieties contact your Flint dentist about your options for sedation dentistry. You no longer have to fear receiving treatments for your dental ailments.