Sedation is routinely used in dentistry as a way to provide a more relaxing and anxiety free dental care visit. This is especially true for patients receiving dental treatment that have excessive anxiety or that experience varying levels of panic. It helps to provide the patient with a more relaxed and calm treatment during dental sedation experience. Whether it is some type of dental phobia or apprehension, modern sedation treatment can help patients get the dental care that they need. The good news is that modern dentistry provides safe, comfortable and highly effective dental treatments that can be completely anxiety free. Sedation is simply the process that is used to provide for a more relaxed and calm state through the use of safe and effective sedatives.

Calm and Relaxed Dental Sedation Experience

Everything from nitrous oxide to medication and even IV administered sedation can be used to sedate a dental patient so that work can be completed without fear or anxiety. The good news is that even IV sedation is completely safe and effective because it is administered by a trained dental professional. Those who are concerned with needles find that nitrous oxide is a great substitute that offers a similar calm and relaxed dental experience. Medications used today are so effective that in many cases the patient may not even remember the treatment or procedure. It is not uncommon for a patient to sleep through an entire dental or surgical procedure with absolutely no anxiety experienced. That said different types of sedation offer different levels of consciousness for the patient.

The Difference Between Sedation Dentistry and Sleep Dentistry

It is important to note that even with sedation, local anesthesia is typically still used. This is an added layer of protection that greatly reduces anxiety and pain. Perhaps one of the most reported benefits of sedation dentistry is that patients feel like the entire treatment only lasted a few short minutes. Even for treatments that take hours, sedation dentistry makes the whole experience feel like it lasted only a very short period of time. Finally, it is important to note the difference between sedation dentistry and sleep dentistry. Sedation dentistry means that the patient will still be partially awake throughout the entire treatment. Conversely, sleep dentistry means that the patient will be completely asleep throughout the duration of the dental procedure. To learn more about sedation dentistry and its effects on the overall dental experience contact your dentist in Elk Grove, Dr. My Huynh at Laguna Park Dentsitry.