An annual dental checkup should be part of your oral hygiene regimen. Aside from the checkup, you should also visit your dentist for treatments in case you have dental problems. If you are someone who fears dental procedures, you can always ask your dentist to use sedation dentistry.
What is Sedation Dentistry?
Sedation dentistry entails the use of drugs that put a person into a relaxed state. Two types, IV sedation and general anesthesia in particular, can even make a person fall asleep during the procedure.
Who Can Have Sedation?
Sedation is necessary for complicated dental procedures such as dental implantations and tooth extractions. If the dental work covers multiple teeth or much of your gums, deep sedation and general anesthesia are the most suitable.
Aside from the complexity of dental procedures, the age of a patient is also taken into consideration when determining whether sedation is needed or not. Most child patients are bound to have sedation due to their uneasiness. Some tend to be mischievous too, so they are put under sedation.
If you have a phobia or anxiety disorder, your dentist may put you into deep sedation or general anesthesia as well. Under these levels of sedation, you are at the edge of consciousness. You will not likely remember what happened during the procedure. This is advantageous if your phobia stems from a previous dental procedure. Not remembering past dental work can help you manage your phobia.
If you have low pain tolerance, bad gag reflex or sensitive oral nerves, you will also need sedation. Local anesthesia is the most appropriate sedation for you. This type of sedation only numbs your mouth. But if you developed a resistance against local anesthesia, you have to settle for sedatives that can put you into moderate to deep sedation.
Dental procedures are a little bit more painful to people with small mouths. If you are among these people, you will need to take some sedatives or pain relievers to cope with the soreness during and after the procedure.
Who Cannot Have Sedation?
The prospect of going to the dentist alone can make some people tremble in fear. However, not everyone who visits the dentist can have sedation.
If you are just visiting the dentist for a routine checkup, dental cleaning or X-ray, you might not need sedation. These procedures are not painful at all.
How to Prepare
Set up an appointment with your dentist if you see or feel signs of a dental problem. Bring your medical records along so your dentist can go over it, and decide the right type and level of sedation dentistry for you. You should also tell them about your low pain tolerance, or any other condition that calls for sedation.