Do you get a shiver running down your spine whenever you think of getting your teeth cleaned? Are you scared of dentist visits to such an extent that you would rather sustain the pain of a toothache instead of stepping into the chamber of a dentist? If answered yes, you’re not alone. There are several others who are phobic about visiting a dentist and prefer to not treat their concerns.
For such people, who are scared of visiting a dentist, sleep dentistry might eliminate some of their anxiety. From a simple cleaning of tooth to other invasive treatments, sedation can be used. But the way it is used depends on the extent of fear of the patient.
Sleep dentistry – What is it?
Sleep dentistry, also known as sedation dentistry, utilizes medicines to relax the patients while they go through any kind of dental treatment. In sleep dentistry, patients remain awake apart from those who have been put under general anesthesia. The extent of sedation can include:
- Minimum sedation where you are relaxed yet awake
- Moderate sedation, also called conscious sedation, where your words and speech might get slurred and you may not even remember what happened with you in the process
- Deep sedation, where you’re almost conscious and you can also be awakened
- General anesthesia, where you’re totally unconscious
Potential reasons to consider sleep dentistry
- It helps in controlling anxiety
There are many who experience deep bouts of anxiety on entering the clinic of a dentist. Due to this uneasiness, they can soon start feeling uncomfortable with the treatment. This can, in turn, heighten chances of complications. If you don’t want to go through this dental trauma, you can ask your dentist to choose sedation. This sedative can tackle your anxiety and ease off the discomfort of the dental procedure.
- It helps in reducing pain
One of the major concerns among patients while visiting dentists is pain. This is because pain is associated with removal of tooth, root canals, and any other dental procedure. If this fear of pain is keeping you from seeking help of a dentist, request for the right sedation. Processes like dental surgery can’t be managed with the help of local anesthesia. This is why sedation is critical for reducing the pain of the total procedure.
- It helps in inducement of amnesia
In order to wipe off the unpleasant memories of a complex dental treatment, you may desire amnesia. The mental trauma that remains after one dental procedure is never forgotten and this causes aversion to visit a dentist ever after. This is why sleep dentistry works in preventing this trauma from affecting you. With the sedative, it is possible to induce amnesia. In this case, the dentist applies a minimal dose of general anesthesia to bar the formation of fresh memories during the process.
- It promotes trigger management
There are multiple triggers in a dental clinic that leads to unpleasant memories and emotions. Because of the smells, sounds and sights of a dental clinic, it is very tough for stay calm. Can you imagine listening to the sound of a drill machine? This sound can instantly trigger fear. This is why it is important to apply sedation as it reduces the impact of dental clinic triggers.
As we see, sleep dentistry is not just advantageous for handling anxiety and fear but is also useful for people with different disorders that make dental care difficult. For instance, undergoing dental therapy might seem unbearable for an autistic person. This is when the dentists can put them under sedation and provide dental care.
