Oral Sedation Dentistry

For many adults, going to the dentist is just apart of life. They accept that it is not the most fun activity that they will engage in, but also accept that it is necessary to maintain good oral health. For some adults, going to the dentist is a panic-inducing nightmare. For these adults, a simple cleaning is hard to get through. It is estimated that 30 to 40 million adults suffer from dental anxiety. If left untreated, this anxiety can cause these adults to not get the proper dental care that they need, which can in turn put their oral health at risk.

If you are one of these adults, you may be wondering what options are available to you to help you cope with your anxiety. Luckily, there are a few options available that range in invasiveness of level of sedation. The options are oral sedation, IV sedation, and inhalation sedation. IV and inhalation sedation are reserved for extreme cases of anxiety or invasive procedures. Oral sedation dentistry is typically used to treat moderate anxiety for regular dental procedures. It is growing in popularity and may be the answer to the question you’ve been asking.

What are the advantages?

Oral sedation dentistry columbus ohio has many advantages. For starters, it is easy to administer. It is as simple as taking a pill. Your dentist will prescribe a medicine based on your medical history and level of anxiety. All you have to do is swallow it and let it do the rest. Usually you take the pill prior to leaving for the dentist, so when you arrive you are already relaxed.

Using oral sedation is also good because there are no needles used. Needles can be a contributing factor to anxiety, so eliminating them can help reduce anxiety in itself. There is also no amnesia. With other sedations, amnesia is a side effect. In this case, you will not have memory loss. Additionally, all oral sedatives are regulated by the FDA. This means that they are safe and extremely unlikely to cause any severe side effects. Lastly, one of the fears many people have about being sedated is the feeling of being “under” and not responsive. With oral sedation, you will be awake and responsive the entire time.

What are the disadvantages?

One of the downsides to oral sedation dentistry is that the effects won’t be felt right away. When you are administered an IV or inhale nitrous oxide, you instantly have the feeling of relaxation. The effects of taking a pill to reduce anxiety take some time to take effect. This means that if you don’t time it correctly, you can still experience anxiety. Another disadvantage is that unlike nitrous oxide or IV, the level of sedation cannot be easily changed if you do not respond to the pill. If you still have  anxiety after taking the pill, it is much harder to increase the dosage because that will take time to kick in. With IV and inhalation, your dentist can easily up the dosage to ensure that you are relaxed. Lastly, because you have to take it prior to the appointment, you more than likely will not be able to drive yourself to the dentist. If you think you may be a candidate, talk to your dentist. They will be able to help you.

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