Generally speaking, sedation dentistry in Rocky Mountain House makes it possible for patients to overcome dental fear and anxiety, and even for special needs children to receive the routine and emergency dental care they need without avoidable stress and fear.
Sedation dentistry is available in a wide variety of formats. Your dentist in Rocky Mountain House will select the appropriate method and level of sedation depending on your personal circumstances and the nature of treatment you’ll undergo. From the mildest to the deepest, sedation options include nitrous oxide (laughing gas), oral sedation, IV (intravenous sedation) and even general anesthesia.
Whether undergoing sedation dentistry near you is appropriate for your needs – or the needs of a loved one – is something you should discuss with your dentist. Having said that, there are some advantages of sedation dentistry that you should be aware of and that may help to guide that conversation. Here are some of those advantages of undergoing sedation dentistry from a dentist near you might be a good option.
What are some advantages of sedation dentistry?
Dental anxiety is an extremely common phenomenon and one that your dentist isn’t embarrassed about or ignorant of. If you experience any level of anxiety before or during dental treatment, let your dentist know. They can tailor a mild level of sedation to overcome dental anxiety to prevent it from becoming a barrier to obtaining the treatment you need.
You don’t often hear “anterograde amnesia” referred to as an advantage, but in this situation, it really is one. At the root of many people’s phobia about dental work is a bad memory of an unfortunate prior experience. Undergoing sedation dentistry can prevent the formation of new memories. Sedation dentistry, then, is a way for dentists to help replace those former bad memories with positive experiences. That substitution will help you not just to receive treatment one time, but will gradually place the former bad memories further and further in the rearview and mirror. Your dentist will also support you in attempting to address the past phobia, but without layering on any new negative experiences.
Sedation dentistry is about more than fear and phobia. Many patients have a very sensitive gag reflex that can be triggered by dental work (which can require the use of intrusive instruments in your mouth). That gag reflex can be extremely uncomfortable and embarrassing for patients and can also make things very difficult for your dentist and their staff. Your dentist can use sedation dentistry techniques to avoid and address a sensitive gag reflex by temporarily paralyzing it. Your treatment will be more comfortable, more efficient, safer and even faster as a result.
Sedation dentistry can also reduce or eliminate the pain and discomfort that can be caused by some dental treatments. Your dentist has many pain prevention techniques and most dental treatments are now far less painful than you might believe (if you’ve been listening to outdated tales about dentistry of yore). When a patient is under sedation, their brain can’t register pain. And if your brain can’t register it, you can’t feel it. So if you’re not anxious or afraid of the dentist, but would still prefer to avoid pain – and most of us are in that category – ask your dentist if sedation dentistry may be right for you.
Sedation dentistry can also reduce or eliminate the pain and discomfort that can be caused by some dental treatments. Your dentist has many pain prevention techniques and most dental treatments are now far less painful than you might believe (if you’ve been listening to outdated tales about dentistry of yore). When a patient is under sedation, their brain can’t register pain. And if your brain can’t register it, you can’t feel it. So if you’re not anxious or afraid of the dentist, but would still prefer to avoid pain – and most of us are in that category – ask your dentist if sedation dentistry may be right for you.
There are levels of and approaches to sedation dentistry that are appropriate for just about every patient, procedure and need. Whatever your circumstances, discuss them with your dentist and ask them to recommend the most appropriate approach to ensure you get the care you need without experiencing preventable stress, anxiety, fear or pain.
