There are many people who suffer from anxiety when they even just think about visiting the dentist. For those patients who have fear of going to the dentist, sedation dentistry can be a real comfort. Old Settlers Dental sedation dentistry enables patients to feel relaxed and calm throughout their visit. There are a number of sedation dentistry options available to patients today. Let’s go over them here.
Types of Sedation Dentistry Available
There are four types of sedation dentists use today. These are:
Nitrous oxide sedation: Nitrous oxide provides a type of sedation referred to as conscious inhalation. Patients will breathe in the gas (also referred to as laughing gas) which will induce a state of euphoric relaxation. Patients are still aware of what the dentist might say to them during the procedure, but they will feel very relaxed during the procedure. A local anesthetic is usually used in conjunction with laughing gas to ensure the patient feels no pain whatsoever. Nitrous oxide leaves the system almost immediately after the supply is turned off, so patients are free to drive themselves home or to work after their procedure.
Oral sedation: This is one of the most popular methods of dental sedation, and this is probably the case because there are no needles involved with administering oral sedative medication. With oral sedation, patients will take a previously prescribed medication about a half-hour to an hour before their appointment. There is no specific pain relief, but patients are very calm and relaxed for their entire appointment. Patients will need to get a ride both to and from the dentist office using this type of sedation.
Intravenous (IV) sedation: Safe and effective when administered by a trained professional, IV sedation delivers sedation drugs directly into the bloodstream. A local anesthetic is also used in conjunction with this type of sedation as it does not provide pain relief.
General anesthesia: This method of dental sedation uses an anesthetic that will make the patient completely unconscious and unaware of their surroundings. Since patients are unconscious, they will not feel pain so a local anesthetic is not necessary.
Sedation Dentistry in Round Rock TX
If you feel anxious or fearful about going to the dentist, don’t let this stop you from receiving the dental treatment you need. Talk to us at the Old Settlers Dental about Round Rock sedation dentistry.