Nobody gets excited over a visit to the dentist’s office. In addition to the perceived pain, there is always the fear that your dentist will discover something wrong that requires lengthy treatment. Sedation dentistry allows dentists to use different techniques to relieve your anxiety, stress, and pain during dentistry procedures.
The goal is to make dentistry treatments more comfortable for patients who struggle with low pain tolerance, highly sensitive gums and teeth, an overactive gag reflex, and dentistry-associated anxiety. By keeping you unconscious during your procedure, Irvine sedation dentistry can prevent skipped dental appointments. Here are five treatments it can make easier.
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Tooth Extractions
Extractions have an undeserved reputation as one of the most painful dental procedures. Because they involve your dentist literally pulling your tooth out, some patients are so scared of them that they prefer to suffer through an aching tooth. And while a tooth extraction is not painful – your dentist uses local anesthesia to numb your jaw, gums, cheeks, and tongue – there is no convincing some patients of this. Sedation dentistry can help relax you so your dentist performs the extraction more easily.
Root Canals
Root canals also have a reputation as a painful dental procedure. Given the choice, many patients will choose an extraction over a root canal any day. However, this treatment is actually better in some cases as it can help you preserve your tooth and prevent bone loss. Your dentist can put you under sedation to protect you from pain and reduce your anxiety about a root canal.
Wisdom Teeth Removal
Less and less people are having their wisdom teeth removed these days. But, for those that still are, this oral surgery procedure can be anxiety-inducing. Wisdom teeth removal involves the same process as a regular tooth extraction and your dentist will usually numb your mouth to prevent pain. However, some people do not like the feeling of tools in their mouth or of a tooth being pulled and can be fussy. Sedation dentistry can help keep you calm and make the process progress faster.
Emergency Dental Work
Emergency dentistry procedures are performed in response to traumatic or urgent dental problems that involve excessive bleeding, severe pain, or great distress. Because you are already in pain, your dentist may use sedation to calm you down as they address the problem. This will allow them to fix as much of the issue as possible and will give you time to relax after the traumatizing event.
Dental Implants
Dental implants are considered the hallmark of tooth replacement treatments. But since they involve surgery – your dentist cuts your gum to insert the artificial root into your jawbone – you may need sedation to handle the pain. Sedation will also help keep you relaxed by preventing you from feeling odd sensations like your tooth being pulled or your dentist cutting into the tissue.
Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Sedation Treatment
The prospect of a dentist appointment can be downright terrifying for many people. It can be so scary that you even cancel your treatments. Unfortunately, dental concerns never take a break and the longer you put off seeing your dentist, the worse your problem gets. An infected tooth can cause increasingly severe pain and inflammation the longer you leave it untreated. This is why sedation dentistry is crucial – it can help relax you enough to get the treatment you need. If you experience anxiety over dentistry procedures, do not be afraid to discuss sedation dentistry with your dentist during your next appointment.
