Dental anxiety can present a serious problem for people who suffer from it. They tend to avoid the dentist, allowing problems to become serious before they are finally treated. Fortunately, sedation dentistry can help.
What is Dental Anxiety?
If you have dental anxiety, you suffer from severe anxiety or panic attacks when you see the dentist. This often occurs because of bad experiences when you were younger—for example, if you had to have extensive dental work as a child, or if their dentist wasn’t child-friendly, you might now have dental anxiety and avoid the dentist as an adult.
Unfortunately, this causes you to skip regular dental care, which makes it more likely that you’ll have problems that will require extensive treatment. You might put off going to the dentist until you are very uncomfortable, which means your experience will be even worse than it might have been if you’d gone earlier. This creates a vicious circle that keeps your anxiety levels high.
How Does Sedation Dentistry Help?
Sedation dentistry gives you the chance to be completely relaxed during your dental visit. It’s usually used in conjunction with local anesthetic to optimize your comfort during restorations, deep cleaning, or oral surgery. Some people even use it for regular exams, particularly if they suffer from a very sensitive gag reflex. If you suffer from dental anxiety—especially if you’ve put off having important work done—ask your dentist about the possibility of using sedation dentistry.
Sedation is not the same thing as general anesthetic; you are not unconscious during your dental work. Instead, you’re given a mild sedative—usually a pill or nitrous oxide—that helps you become completely relaxed. Many people say it feels like a dream-like state, and mention that time seems to go more quickly. If you’ve neglected your dental work and require several restorations, sedation can make it easier for your dentist to complete necessary work in fewer appointments.
Contact our office today to learn about your sedation options!