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SEDATION AND DENTISTRY

In any given year over half of the American public will not visit the dentist, primarily because of fear. This fear, real or not, must be addressed as part of the dental problem or lasting solutions will not be attained. Dentistry has worked hard over the last decade to find safe and affordable solutions to the problem of fear, and today there are multiple options to choose from. Some of the most basic solutions are creating a warm and friendly environment with the use of blankets and headphones. If your anxiety level is slightly higher the use of nitrous oxide, developed over one hundred years ago, may be all that is required. Nitrous oxide has a great safety record, is inexpensive, and doesn’t require the use of a driver to and from the appointment. For still higher levels of anxiety a small oral sedative (pill) can make almost any appointment very relaxing and is also very inexpensive. High anxiety patients often fall asleep during the procedure and often do not remember the experience. However, a driver to and from the appointment is required and driving and/or work must be put off until the next day. For the completely phobic patient, IV sedation may be the only choice so that the entire procedure is accomplished without any awareness by the patient. An anesthetist will closely monitor the oxygen levels in the blood, blood pressure, and heart activity making IV sedation very safe. Here’s a side note for those concerned about the safety of IV sedation. Before anesthetists monitored the oxygen level of the blood, general anesthesia carried a significant amount of risk. Approximately twenty years ago doctors found a simple method of monitoring the oxygen levels and the safety of anesthesia soared. Today there are almost no reports of difficulty with anesthesia for healthy patients.

Whether you have mild anxiety or are completely phobic about dental visits, there is a relaxing and safe solution that can be tailored to your needs. Please don’t let fear compromise your oral health.

Call our office today, 316-636-1222.