The Benefits and Downsides of Oral Sedation Dentistry

Over 50 percent of Americans scheduling dental visits shake with fear irrespective of whether they visit the dentist for a minor or significant procedure. It doesn’t matter whether people call dental practices for cleanings and exams or have a tooth extracted. The fear and anxiety levels remain the same to cause 22 percent of Americans to avoid dental visits altogether.

People avoiding dental visits are not only neglecting their dental hygiene but also inviting a host of other general health problems that undoubtedly affect them when they allow oral conditions to manifest in their mouths. Instead of adopting these strategies, people will do better if they discuss their predicament with dentistry near me to understand how they can overcome dental anxiety.

The dentist in Delta, BC, will happily provide a patient’s information on how dental anxiety is a thing of the past, with new advances in anesthetics making available oral sedation an effective method for anxiety management. Hearing about oral sedation may not convince people how dentists perform any and all procedures merely by administering a pill or two before their dental procedure. It is why we decided to provide the benefits and downsides of oral sedation for people to take advantage of and visit their dentist’s fearlessly.

What Is Oral Sedation?

Pill sedation is the alternate name for oral sedation and is one of the three sedation techniques used by dentists to calm patients when providing any dental treatment. Unlike intravenous sedation or nitrous oxide, oral sedation does not act immediately, and patients are advised to take the pill in the hours leading to their dental appointment.

Patients are provided with an oral sedative to decrease activity in some parts of their brain controlling fear and anxiety. The effects of oral sedation resulting in a relaxed and calm demeanor allowing the dentist to work efficiently and effectively as they are expected.

The Benefits of Oral Sedation

• Oral sedation is comfortable for the dentist to administer. The Newton dentist prescribes a pill for the patient to keep them calm during their treatment. Oral sedation is the most comfortable anesthetizing technique because they are just required to swallow a pill an hour before the procedure. Patients feel relaxed by the time they arrive for their appointment.
• Many patients fear needles, which are commonly used when administering intravenous sedation or local anesthesia. However, patients don’t have to fear needles with oral sedation because the sedative prescribed is taken orally before the appointment.
• The potent dosage of oral sedation ensures patients recollect no memory of their procedure. It is particularly beneficial for patients with dental anxiety because they will not remember what they experienced when sedated.
• People with dental anxiety shouldn’t fear oral sedation as the FDA approves it, and patients are unlikely to experience any adverse side effects.

The Downsides of Oral Sedation

• Patients preferring intravenous sedation or nitrous oxide begin feeling the effects of the sedative instantly. However, oral sedation does not function as fast as the other two. It is why the dentist in Delta recommends taking the pill an hour or so before the apartment.
• Oral sedation requires time to become effective, and every patient has different levels of metabolism. It is challenging for the dentist to confirm how much time is needed for the sedative to become fully effective. Therefore after being administered, the dentists cannot change the sedative levels.
• Patients are unable to drive down for their appointment or drive-back after undergoing any procedures. Oral sedation doesn’t merely relax patients during dental appointments but keeps them relaxed for an hour or two, even after. Therefore patients must ensure they have someone to drive them to their appointment and back and remain with them for a couple of hours after they reach home.

Oral sedation is an excellent method for patients with dental anxiety. This sedation technique takes dental anxiety and any other fears patients have from their minds allowing them to undergo dental treatments calmly.

Oral sedation doesn’t mean patients can forget needles forever. They receive local anesthesia in their mouths for pain management, which is different from anxiety management. However, this method of sedating patients allows dentists to work effectively and efficiently and provide more treatments to anxious patients in fewer appointments.

Why should people remain anxious about dental visits when modern techniques can help them efficiently? Learn how oral sedation is making dental treatments easier for everyone from this article.