Do you ever suffer from stress or anxiety about visiting the dentist office? If so, it could be linked to fears associated with receiving oral health care treatments. Oftentimes, individuals may be afraid of feeling painful sensations while their teeth are being worked on. However, modern dentistry provides numerous forms of sedatives to cover these exact issues. An entire branch of dentistry known as sedation dentistry exists to help ensure that you can remain calm and relaxed during oral health care procedures.
Sedation dentistry consists of several forms of sedation. If you are looking for a relaxing sedation that wears off rather quickly, nitrous oxide can be used. Nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, is applied through a mask that is placed over your nose. As you breathe in, you will much more relaxed and susceptible to receiving oral health care treatments without the fears and anxieties you would come to expect.
For deeper levels of sedation, oral sedation and intravenous moderate sedation can be used. With oral sedation, a pill will need to be swallowed up to an hour before an oral health care procedure is to be given. Although they are slow acting, dosages can be adjusted from a relaxing sensation to a deep state of sleep. Alternatively, intravenous sedations are injected into veins and work rather quickly. Through the use of intravenous sedation, you can have oral health care procedures given shortly after an injection is given.
For the deepest levels of sedation, general anesthesia can be applied. It can either push you into a deep state of consciousness or close to it, from which you will not wake up until the effects wear off or are reversed through the use of other medications.
Steele Dentistry wants to help you with your sedation dentistry needs. To schedule an appointment at our office in Denver, Colorado, please call us at 303-278-3353. Dr. Kate Steele and our team will help you find your healthy smile!