Dental anxiety is a common condition that prevents many patients from receiving the care they need. In fact, according to the American Dental Association, almost 22 percent of adults skip regular dental visits because of fear.
With sedation dentistry Nashville, patients who have a high level of fear can receive the care they need while feeling calm and relaxed. It can also help people who have sensitive teeth or who are prone to a gag reflex.
Sedation Dentistry is a safe and effective treatment option for many patients who have dental anxiety. It can be administered in several different ways depending on the patient’s needs and the type of procedure they are having done.
Minimal Sedation – This is the most common form of sedation and is usually administered with an anti-anxiety medication. Taking this medication before your appointment may make you feel very sleepy. Alternatively, we can administer nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, to ease your anxiety. This sedative is quickly absorbed into your system and wears off within minutes.
Oral Conscious Sedation – Oral conscious sedation is another popular type of sedation and can be administered by your dentist in the office or at home with oral sedative medications. These are typically triazolam (Halcion) and diazepam (Valium) in pill form, but we may use other medications if we feel they are appropriate for your situation.
Intravenous (IV) Sedation – With IV sedation, the medication is given via a tube that runs through your veins into your bloodstream. This allows your dentist to control the medication with greater precision and increase or decrease dosages as needed during your procedure.
The amount of sedation you receive is determined by your doctor and can be anywhere from mild to severe, depending on the level of anxiety and the nature of the dental procedure. You will likely experience a sense of drowsiness that may last for hours following your treatment. It is recommended that you have a responsible person with you at all times and that you do not drive or operate machinery after your sedation procedure.
Deep Sedation – For patients who require deeper levels of sedation, a trained anesthesiologist can administer the sedatives. These are generally used for complex procedures or when the patient has a high level of anxiety.
In some cases, a patient who has experienced deep sedation may not remember their dental procedure and are unresponsive to commands from their dentist, so it is best that a responsible person take them home. It can be very difficult to regain consciousness after this type of sedation and driving after the procedure is usually unsafe.
Before any sedation dentistry Nashville is administered, your doctor will review your health history and determine if you are a good candidate for this type of sedation. Your dentist will also go over the medications used to sedate you and ask about any other medications you are currently taking.
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