A Colorado Springs Cosmetic Dentist’s Comprehensive Patient Guide to Sedation Dentistry, PART 2

This four-part article series provides an in-depth overview of sedation dentistry, what it is, how it works, the benefits it offers and what patients can expect from its different methods of administration.

Welcome to the second installment of this four-part article series on sedation dentistry and everything patients need to know about this essential branch of dental healthcare. Previously, in Part 1, an experienced Colorado Springs cosmetic dentist explained what sedation is and what the three primary modes for administration are (oral pills, nitrous oxide gas and intravenous) before going on to describe what it actually feels like for patients.

Now, let’s take a look at the many benefits of sedation dentistry…

The Benefits of Sedation Dentistry

• Anxiety-free Treatment: Sedation dentistry eliminates fear and anxiety, which encourages patients to receive the routine preventative or restorative treatment they need to keep their teeth healthy.

• No More Sweaty Palms and Racing Hearts: It also eliminates many of the physical symptoms associated with fear and anxiety, which includes sweating, trembling, fainting, nausea and panic attacks.

• Pain-free Treatment: You don’t need to be terrified of the dentist to benefit from sedation dentistry.

“Sedation is often administered to patients about to undergo complex and invasive procedures for which it eliminates pain, stress and discomfort,” explains the Colorado Springs dental implant dentist. It’s also good for patients who suffer with extremely sensitive or painful teeth.”

• Single Visit Treatment: Sedation dentistry enables dentists to perform longer and more involved procedures, such as dental implant surgery, in a single appointment instead of breaking it down into shorter phases or stages. With more work being achieved in a single appointment, patients are saved the time, inconvenience and expense of multiple procedures.

• A Good Dental Catch Up: Oftentimes, Colorado Springs dental implant dentists only see patients after many years of abandon, probably because fear and embarrassment has kept them away. Sedation dentistry enables the dentist to provide several years’ worth of treatment in only a few appointments. This isn’t the recommended way to go about receiving professional dental care, but it’s better than total neglect!

• Eliminates Gagging: Sedation can also be prescribed to those patients who have a strong gag reflex and who struggle to keep their lunch down, even when undergoing a straightforward check-up or cleaning.

• Benefits Dentist and Patient: Sedation dentistry is as beneficial to the patient as it is to the dentist. Any decent cosmetic dentist in Colorado Springs is wholly concerned about the comfort and wellbeing of their patients and if a patient is seen to be struggling with panic and fear, it’s going to be hard for the dentist to dispense the quality of care they are truly capable of. By sedating the patient, both parties are put at ease and, as such, the dentist can provide the best quality care under much better and more relaxed circumstances. Patients are also calmer and more cooperative under the effects of sedation.

• Safe and Easy: Sedation medications are easily metabolized by the body, so they won’t deliver an unpleasant hangover afterwards. They also take effect really quickly and the dentist can easily control the dosage.

Who’s the Ideal Candidate for Sedation Dentistry?

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The ideal candidate for sedation dentistry is someone who suffers from any of the above-mentioned conditions: anxiety, fear, nervousness, strong gag reflex, painful or sensitive teeth or advanced neglect.

“If you have any kind of anxiety about undergoing dental treatment, whether it’s a routine examination or advanced surgery, sedation can really help you,” explains a cosmetic dentist in Colorado Springs. “It can also help you overcome your fear, making it easier for you to seek professional dental care in future, even if you’ve had a bad experience in the past.”

Stay Tuned for Part 3

To read more about sedation dentistry and what the different modes of administration entail (pills, nitrous oxide gas and IV), stay tuned for the third installment of this four-part article series.