Sometimes, protecting your smile’s integrity requires a little more work than just a regular checkup and cleaning. For patients who require complex procedures, or who are afraid of the dentist’s chair, sedation can be a deciding factor in their dental health care. Whether you need extensive treatment, feel anxious about receiving your treatment, or have special needs that make visiting the dentist difficult, you have a variety of sedation options to help make your dental care easier and more comfortable.
Sedation and Dentistry
Anesthesia is a common tool in dentistry, even for some routine procedures, like dental fillings. Local anesthesia blocks the sending and receiving of pain signals by the nerves in a specific area of your mouth, significantly reducing discomfort in that region. As a pain-blocker, however, anesthesia doesn’t help patients relax or reduce their anxiety during treatment. Using a variety of techniques, including nitrous oxide and intravenous (IV) sedation, Dr. Hofkes can help you find the right level of relaxation to alleviate your anxieties and help you remain calm.
When to Consider Opting for Sedation
A number of factors can contribute to your decision to opt for sedation dentistry aside from dental fear. For instance, some special needs patients may have trouble understanding the nature of their visit, and cannot remain still in the chair long enough to successfully undergo a dental procedure. After a thorough medical examination and consultation with the patient’s doctor(s), we can plan a course of treatment that includes an appropriate form of sedation for the special-needs patient.
