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Some of the main reasons many people don’t like to visit the dentist is due to the pain involved with some procedures, or simply the fear of the experience. That’s why dentistry has come up with a way to provide people with dental care, but relieving those common reasons for avoiding it. Sedation dentistry allows patients to have dental work without feeling pain or experiencing anxiety.
Process
Sedation dentistry uses sedative drugs in a safe way for patients to be calmed during dental procedures. You are not fully put to sleep, but the effects of the sedative can make you feel sleepy and it’s likely you won’t remember much about your dental work. It is formally regulated, and side effects are uncommon. Your dentist adjusts the amount of medication used to meet the needs of each patient. There are even choices about the sedation technique used. In the past, intravenous sedation delivered by injection was the most common. Today, alternatives like inhaling laughing gas and other approaches that don’t require needles are possible. Your dentist can discuss your options and help you decide which is best for you.
Pain management
Many patients are interested in sedation dentistry so that the pain felt during dental procedures is reduced. This is more than just numbing the area to be worked on; you can actually be put to sleep so you do not feel anything at all. Sedation dentistry is often recommended for sensitive procedures that have greater pain associated with them.
Relaxation
Another popular reason for sedation techniques is to relax the patient. This calms you during the procedure so that the dental work can be performed without increased risk of injury or avoidance. A common level of sedation for this purpose is called the twilight stage, which allows you to respond to the dentist but your awareness of the procedure itself is limited. This allows many patients to get through dental procedures much more comfortably as opposed to when fully awake and alert.
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