Many people get anxious around the dentist, and this can seriously compromise oral health and hygiene. It is so important to visit the dentist regularly, and if you don’t, problems may only get worse, leading to more treatment being needed. Sedation is a commonly used solution to this problem, allowing patients to relax throughout their treatments.
Having sedation will sometimes require your dentist to refer you to a separate centre, normally the nearest hospital. It can be used to help in almost any treatment, and can allow you to not worry or get anxious throughout the procedure.
Sedation can be administered in many forms, but all produce a form of relaxed state for the patient, allowing the dentist to make progress and administer treatments without agitating the patient. The medications used affect the central nervous system inducing a calm state. Sometimes when sedation is used during dentistry procedures it is also called ‘sleep dentistry’ although this isn’t an accurate portrayal of what occurs. The drugs don’t make you unconscious and with some forms of sedation you will you will be aware of all that is going on. It is very unlikely that you will have to have a general anaesthetic for dental treatments.
Alternatively your treatment may include local anaesthesia. This is commonly used for minor dental treatments and typically involves a gel or injection of a local anaesthetic which eliminates any pain while the area is being treated. General anaesthesia makes the patient completely unconscious and is used mainly for large scale surgery and for those who aren’t able to have sedation. It contains its own risks and problems but is a good solution for those who have severe phobias or who are undergoing a lot of treatments at once.
Not all dentists perform dental sedation and it is essential that you enquire at your clinic to ensure that they do. To offer sedation dentists need to undergo specific training on top of their dental qualifications.