The Benefits of Dental Sedation

As adults, we know that taking care of our teeth is important. We know that it’s important to visit the dentist regularly so we can take care of small issues before they become large ones. However, that doesn’t prevent some of us from feeling a sense of apprehension before we enter the dentist’s office. Fear of seeing the dentist can make even the most necessary dental interventions uncomfortable and distressing for adults, but children who fear dental procedures may have an even more torturous experience in the office. If you or your children deal with a substantial degree of anxiety while in the dentist’s chair, sedation dentistry can help you have a relaxing experience. Check out the following groups of patients who benefit from sedation dentistry and see if sedation could make your family’s next trip to the dentist more enjoyable.

Who Could Benefit

• People with intense anxiety/phobias concerning dentistry. Some children and teens have such strong negative associations with dental work that they avoid visiting the dentist at all. This can greatly jeopardize their oral health. Fortunately, those with intense anxiety/dental phobia, even people whose fears are linked to traumatic experiences at the dentist’s office in the past, can finally relax with sedation dentistry. In fact, they may not even remember much about the treatment, which is especially helpful if you want to prevent a frightened child from developing even more anxiety about the dentist later on.
• People with a low pain tolerance. For some children with a low pain threshold and extremely sensitive teeth and gums, fear of pain can leave them reasonably leery of the dentist’s office. With sedation, patients can have a comfortable, pain-free experience, and dentists can do their work without being concerned they are causing patients and undue amount of pain and stress.
• People with an overly active gag reflex. Patients sometimes can’t handle having objects in their mouths without gagging (which can be both a physical and mental reaction). Sedation can help eliminate this reflex and make the dentist’s job easier (and speedier!).
• People who have trouble with movement control. Sometimes patients’ involuntary movements (or young children’s voluntary squirming) make their time in the dentist’s chair long and uncomfortable. Sedation dampens those reflexes, which leads to more efficient dental treatment.
• People who want to undergo multiple dental procedures at once. Undergoing several necessary treatments simultaneously can be uncomfortable or even frightening, especially for children. Fortunately with sedation, patients can easily weather multiple treatments. As an added bonus, you will likely save time and money if you can do multiple procedures during one sitting.
• People who need oral surgery. Wisdom teeth removal and root canals may be common, but that doesn’t make them any less scary for many teens and children, even those who do not have issues at more routine dental appointments. Put their minds at ease about these more intensive procedures by deciding to use sedation.

If you have any questions about sedation during dental procedures, don’t hesitate to call the professionals at ABC Dental.