Braces versus Retainers: A Comprehensive Overveiw

4 Reasons to Consider Sedation Dentistry

25 May 2021 by Lonnie Bryant

Since some dental procedures can be very painful or scary without anesthetic, sedation dentistry has become a popular way to help individuals avoid those types of issues. Sedation dentistry involves using general anesthesia such as gas or intravenous sedation to keep patients asleep and comfortable during a wide variety of procedures, from surgery to more minor treatments like teeth cleaning. Here are four great reasons to try out sedation dentistry.

Sedation helps with anxiety 

Patients who suffer from dental anxiety or other generalized forms of anxiety disorder often find dental procedures to be extremely stressful. In turn, they often avoid seeing a dentist because of their fears, which can lead to the escalation of easily treated problems like gum disease and tooth decay. If you suffer from feelings of nervousness or anxiety before dental appointments, sedation dentistry may be an easy way to overcome this discomfort and feel more at ease.

Sedation helps You get a thorough cleaning 

Alongside providing you with relief from anxiety, a hyelpful sedation dentist also provides relief from discomfort or pain. Some people with a low pain threshold find that procedures like scaling plaque from teeth can be very uncomfortable, but not everyone feels comfortable with local anesthetic injections. With sedation, you can get a thorough dental cleaning in one visit without your pain stopping the dentist from scaling every crevice.

Sedation is great for complex dental procedures

Dental procedures that require the use of a drill, such as root canals, can involve considerable amounts of physical pain for patients without anesthesia. While local anesthetic can be a big help, some complex procedures go deep into the jaw, reducing the efficacy of such anesthesia. As such, if you have a complex or intensive treatment booked, sedation may be the best way to get a pain-free experience.

Sedation can save you multiple appointments

If you have multiple dental issues that need to be fixed, sedation dentistry may be a great option for helping you get through them all at once. It's rarely feasible to have a lot of dental treatment in one go under local anesthetic. For one, local anesthesia wears off after a relatively short period of time. On top of that, holding your mouth open for a long time can be uncomfortable. Sedation allows dentists to spend longer periods of time working on all your teeth, allowing you to undergo multiple procedures in a day. 

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