Did you know that you should be seeing your dentist approximately every six months for a regular cleaning and checkup? Dental phobia is just one of the many reasons why some people avoid visiting their dentist twice a year. Fortunately, sedation dentistry is now available to help patients relax while receiving treatment, but there are many additional benefits of it as well. Read on to learn about some of the things that sedation dentistry can help with.
Dental Anxiety
Dental anxiety during cleanings and checkups is very common. In fact, it keeps many people from receiving essential oral care, causing any existing dental issues to worsen. If you’re a patient that gets particularly anxious throughout the duration of your treatment, sedation dentistry may be able to help you get through your appointments with ease.
Anterograde Amnesia
One of the ways that patients develop dental anxiety throughout their life is because of previous negative experiences at the dental office. With each additional visit, the fear can get worse and worse. Sedation dentistry can help to prevent patients from building up additional fear, simply because some forms of sedation dentistry, like oral conscious sedation, cause you to not remember the majority of your visit.
Reduction in Gag Reflex
The gag reflex helps the throat to expel any intrusive foreign objects. However, during a dental visit, an overactive gag reflex can make receiving treatment more difficult. With sedation dentistry, the gag reflex can be paralyzed. Ultimately, the dentist can work more quickly and efficiently, and the patient will be more comfortable.
Relieves Discomfort
With modern dental technology, your dental visits shouldn’t be painful, but if you are afraid of any discomfort of the teeth or gums, sedation dentistry can help. The brain does not register pain while under the influence of powerful sedatives and anesthetics.
Faster Treatment
When a patient is under sedatives and anesthetics, they won’t be moving around as much as a reaction to what the dentist is doing. This way, the patient will be more comfortable and relaxed, and the dentist can work faster. They may be able to even get multiple things done at once. This means lower costs, fewer visits, and a shortened cumulative recovery period.
Sedation dentistry is an excellent option for many people to get the essential dental care they need. Talk to your dental team about your choices. This way, your next dental visit will be a breeze!