Archive for December, 2009

Sedation Dentistry

Many people don’t receive routine preventative dental care because they have a fear of the dentist. They are afraid if they go to have their teeth checked and cleaned, the dentist will find something that requires even more extensive treatment. In fact, 30 percent of people in the United States have “dental phobia”. An organization of dentists known as DOCS (Dental Organization for Conscious Sedation) strive to ensure that people like this can get comfortable and stress-free dental care with sedation dentistry.

Sedation dentistry in Dallas uses different forms of sedatives like anti-anxiety medication, nitrous oxide, and tranquillizers to calm patients before their treatment. The earliest form of sedation dentistry was administered using sedatives injected through an IV into the patient’s arm. These days, sedation dentistry has grown beyond that to include approaches not involving needles that a lot of people find much more appealing.

The most common type of sedation dentistry in this country is oral. The oral medications that are used make the patient so comfortable that many do not even remember their visit to the dentist. However, oral sedation dentistry keeps the patient conscious enough so that they are always safe and can cooperate with the dentist’s instructions. Generally, the dentist will still give the patient an injection of anesthetic at the site, but this is done after the patient has already been given oral sedative and is completely relaxed.

Dallas sedation dentistry is especially beneficial for patients requiring very long procedures. Procedures that may usually require several visits can be completed with fewer appointments.