Sleep Dentistry - Using Sedation when Afraid of the Dentist

Author: Softouch Dental Care
Published: 2011/01/15
Topic: Dental and Teeth - Publications List

Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main

Synopsis: Many people who consistently avoid the dentist out of fear are turning to sleep dentistry.

Introduction

Main Item

When is sleep dentistry used during a procedure

Many people who consistently avoid the dentist out of fear are turning to sleep dentistry. Dental phobia is not uncommon and has far reaching effects when it prevents proper dental care. Patients find that modern advances in dentistry are making it easier to maintain routine visits. Experienced dentists are making efforts to reach out to patients like you with dental phobia by providing comfort amenities at every level.

Dentists also present this option when more extensive treatment is necessary, as in cosmetic dentistry. It is easier to work on you when you are in a state of deep relaxation. Tension in your jaw muscles release under sedation allowing more complex work to be completed. Many dental offices are offering multi-procedure dental visits where more than one procedure is performed at the same time. Even though you are sedated, you can be still for the time these longer treatments require.

When do the effects of sleep dentistry wear off

The effects depend on how deep the sedation is that your dentist induces. Nitrous oxide use allows you to drive yourself home and function at normal capacity. Deeper sedation induced by a pill or administered with an I.V. needle will require a longer recovery. You should be accompanied by someone to the office and will need to be driven home. It is not uncommon for dentists to recommend not being alone for a few hours until normal consciousness returns.

What is the difference between sedation and anesthesia

Both anesthesia and sedation remove the signals for pain sensation and allow you to be more comfortable. Sleep dentistry is more accurately termed sedation dentistry without the use of anesthesia.

Other differences include:

Anesthesia induces an unconscious state of sleep - You remain unresponsive under anesthesia but awake with sedation - Sedation results in a sleep-like state

For more information about sleep dentistry, please visit the website of Softouch Dental Care serving patients in Northern Virginia including Tysons Corner, Fairfax, Reston, Alexandria, Arlington and Washington, D.C. www.softouchdentalcare.com