Know These Facts About Sedation Dentistry

Is dental anxiety getting the best of you? Is your oral health suffering because you can’t overcome your fear of the dental chair? It’s time to learn more about sedation dentistry. Sedation dentistry has helped countless patients get the dental care they need and deserve, despite their level of fear or anxiety about the experience.

Sedation dentistry can involve oral conscious sedation (taking a sedative pill before you arrive) or nitrous oxide inhalation (wearing a small nosepiece during your procedure). Your dentist can help you determine which form of dental sedation is best for you.

To help you get comfortable with the idea of electing sedation dentistry at your next appointment, here are some fast facts you should know:

It is safe. As long as your dentist is certified to administer sedation dentistry, you can rest assured that the method is completely safe. In fact, nitrous oxide sedation is even safe for kids, with no lingering side effects afterwards. You can even drive yourself home after getting nitrous oxide or “laughing gas.”

It doesn’t “put you to sleep.”  While some patients are relaxed enough to fall into a peaceful slumber, the sedatives used in sedation dentistry are not like general anesthesia. You’ll actually be aware of your surroundings and able to communicate with your dentist if you wish. However, you can expect to experience a deep state of relaxation.

It can be used for any procedure. You don’t have to have a root canal or tooth extraction on the books in order to get sedation dentistry. Many patients who experience dental fear or anxiety choose to get sedation dentistry at their routine dental cleanings – and that is perfectly acceptable.

It can help many different types of patients. Sedation dentistry isn’t just for the patient who gets a racing heart in the dental chair or has a paralyzing fear of the dentist because of a past experience. Sedation dentistry can also be a great solution for patients who have a severe gag reflux, fear of needles or have trouble sitting still. In fact, many special needs patients benefit from sedation dentistry.

Think sedation dentistry may be right for you? If it would help you get the dental care your smile needs and deserves, you should probably consider sedation dentistry. At Green Dental of Alexandria, we go above and beyond to help each patient feel comfortable. Our dentist, Dr. Hye Park, is a licensed and certified sedation dentist and is highly qualified administer offer Nitrous Oxide and oral conscious sedative medications in the comfort of our dental office.