What Are The Benefits Of Dental Sedation?

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By Heritage Dental - Katy

In earlier times, individuals with dental anxiety or phobia had to avoid going to dentists. They preferred to suffer from their dental ailments rather than face their fears. Nowadays, the dentistry industry has experienced a lot of advancements and breakthroughs, and one of them is dental sedation or sedation dentistry. This particular branch of dental treatment is provided for those people who suffer from severe dental anxiety. According to researchers and experts in this field, almost one in five Americans suffer from dental anxiety. This particular problem of dental phobia is having adverse effects on the health of numerous people worldwide. 

What is Dental Sedation? 

  • Dental Sedation is a procedure where the patient is sedated or made unconscious for dental treatment. The type and degree of sedation mostly depend on the patient’s anxiety levels. There are different levels of this process which are as follows:
  • Conscious Sedation: This is a process where the dentist uses very mild dental sedation for the equally mild level of anxiety of the patient. The patient will be conscious throughout the whole dental treatment. In this type of sedation, the patient will be able to readily respond and interact with his or her dentist. 
  • Anxiolysis: This is the lowest level of sedation used by dentists for patients having anxiety levels below average. This is done with the help of nitrous oxide. 
  • Deep Sedation: This is the above moderate level of sedation that makes the patient stay between conscious and unconscious state. This can be achieved through drugs given through IV as well as oral sedatives. In this stage, the patient will not be able to talk or respond. 
  • Full Unconsciousness: This type of sedation is administered to only those patients who suffer from severe dental anxiety. A dentist will use general anesthesia for those patients if they have to go through complex and time-consuming dental treatments. 

Benefits of Dental Sedation

There are several types of techniques used in sedation dentistry these days. Firstly, they make the patient breathe nitrous oxide which helps him or her to relax. This produces the slightest sedation for the patient. Secondly, is the administration of sedation through the IV which also produces a passable level of sedation. Thirdly, there is oral sedation where the dentist gives the patient anti-anxiety or mild sleeping pills which is capable of making the patient relaxed and drowsy. Fourthly, last but not least is deep sedation which is administered by injection. Now let us take a look at the benefits of dental sedation:

  • Dental Sedation enables you to feel relaxed during any kind of dental procedure.
  • It also spares you from various kinds of pain.
  • It allows the dentist to perfectly monitor your vitals and adjust the dosage.
  • It ensures higher rates of success for dental treatments.
  • Dental Sedation may create a period of amnesia which varies from patient to patient. Most of the patients do not remember the procedure at all when they become conscious.
  • It plays a huge role in allowing the dentist in performing multiple procedures on a patient. 

We hope our blog has helped you to gain considerable knowledge about dental sedation and its benefits. In case you suffer from dental anxiety, please consult your nearest dentist in Katy, TX. Our team of professional dental care experts offers the best dental sedation services.