Sedation Dentistry Can Help Sufferers of Dental Phobia

Sedation dentistry was developed in order to provide an anxiety-free experience for patients who suffer from dental phobia. Patients develop dental phobias for many reasons: Some may have had a traumatic experience in the dentist’s office as a child while others have a sensitive gag reflex. Other sufferers are adults who have been scarred by a bad experience at the dentist’s chair or may be disturbed by the negative portrayal of dentists in the media. Whatever the reason, sedation dentistry can address these fears.



Sedation dentistry utilizes sedatives to calm patients during dental procedures; alleviate the sensations and pain that are often experienced or dull their conscious awareness. Sedative drugs such as tranquilizers, depressants, anti-anxiety medications and nitrous oxide (laughing gas) can be administered through inhalation, intravenously (IV sedation) or orally through pills. Furthermore, sedation dentistry is safe when administered by certified and trained professionals.



Sedation dentistry creates a kind of amnesia about the experience. Patients under the effects of dental sedatives often do not remember the procedure or the sensations felt. It must be noted that patients do not sleep while the procedure is being conducted- they will still maintain a level of consciousness which allows them to respond to any requests made by the dentist- but consciousness is dulled.



It must be noted that sedation dentistry in Scottsdale is different from anesthesia. Anesthetic injections still need to be administered into the mouth area to temporarily block pain receptors in the teeth and gums. Thankfully, anesthetic injections are done after sedation, so that patients don’t remember any pain.



It is important for patients to have a trusted friend or family member accompany them to the sedation dentistry Paradise Valley procedure: IV sedation and ‘sleep’ dentistry’ often dulls conscious awareness and induce drowsiness for up to 24 hours. Patients will need to be driven home and looked after for an additional one to four hours after the dental procedure.



One of the most salient benefits of sedation dentistry Paradise Valley is that patients often feel like a dental treatment lasted a few minutes when it could have taken several hours to perform. Sedation dentistry also lessens the amount of time and the number of procedures needed to finish dental treatment. Because the patient is relaxed, more work can be done by a dentist at a faster rate. Sedation dentistry has allowed sufferers of dental phobia to receive the treatment they need.