Does the thought of going to the dentist make you break out it a sweat? Have you avoided dental visits until you just couldn’t take the pain of your toothache any longer? Maybe you had an unpleasant dental experience in the past that resulted in a serious aversion to all things dental. Well fear no longer, sedation dentistry can help!
Dental Anxiety is Common
According to WebMD, between 9% and 20% of Americans suffer from dental fear. This means that if going to the dentist causes you anxiety you are not alone – over 30 million Americans share your dilemma.
What is Sedation Dentistry?
Sedation dentistry is simply a form of relaxing, or sedating, a patient prior to and during dental procedures. This process is designed to eliminate the anxiety many people feel when faced with common dental-related fears such as fear of pain, sights, sounds, or close personal space. Sedation can range from mild to deep and the level of sedation is personalized to each individual’s needs based on their level of anxiety, age, type of dental procedure to be performed and medical history.
How Does Sedation Dentistry Help?
Sedation dentistry can help by calming patients’ anxiety – many times prior to even arriving at the dentist’s office. Patients are monitored during procedures to assure their comfort throughout the entire process.
What Types of Sedation Are Used?
There are 3 types of sedation:
- Minimal-Moderate sedation. Minimal-moderate sedation is often referred to as oral sedation or conscious sedation. This form of sedation doesn’t put the patient to sleep, rather in a very calm and relaxed state. Patients take a pill, generally Halcion, which is in the Valium family of anxiety medications
- Deep sedation. Deep sedation, sometimes referred to as IV sedation, doesn’t put you to sleep but most patients don’t remember the procedure. Dr. Schmakel has a trained Dental Anesthesiologist to provide this service for patients with anxiety.
- General anesthesia. General anesthesia does put a patient to sleep (loss of consciousness) and is most often related with wisdom tooth extraction or very extensive dental procedures. Like deep sedation, general anesthesia is performed with the help of a dental nesthesiologist.
Is Sedation Dentistry Safe?
Sedation dentistry is safe when performed by dentists who are experienced in the procedure. According to the American Dental Association (ADA), dentists use pain and anxiety control techniques to treat millions of patients safely every year. There are risks with any procedure. However, mild and moderate sedation have less risk than deep sedation or general anesthesia.
Finding a Local Dentist That Offers Conscious Sedation
Schmakel Smile Designs in Toledo, OH, specializes in pain-free and conscious sedation dentistry utilizing local and oral conscious sedation which involve fewer risks.
If you are not in the Toledo area, the American Dental Association also offers Find-a-Dentist to assist in finding a dentist near you.
Ditch Dental Anxiety at Schmakel Smile Design
The dental professionals at Schmakel Smile Designs can answer your questions and offer options for conscious sedation and IV sedation to help you relax during your appointment. Make an appointment, or call us at (419) 841-9494.
We are proud to be your dentist in both the Sylvania Township and Toledo, OH area.. For more information about what we do, contact Schmakel Smile Design:
Phone: (419) 841.9494
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.toledodentistry.com.
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