Many people avoid coming to the dentist because of anxiety or fear left from bad past experiences. A large percentage of Americans suffer from dental anxiety because they associate great pain and discomfort with the after effects of a procedure. The problem with dental anxiety is that it often keeps people from keeping their important, regular dental checkup. You need to know this: dental anxiety is not necessary! Here at Dental Care of Mid Florida we have options to give our patients a calm and non-painful experience with us.
Our various sedation dentistry options do not induce unnatural sleep. In fact, most of the sedatives we use allow our patients to be awake for the procedure. Instead of putting our patients into a forced sleep we offer nitrous oxide, IV sedation, and oral conscious sedatives which merely alleviate anxiety while inducing calmness.
A reason that sedation dentistry is popular among our happy patients is because they aren’t injected; most sedatives can be taken by mouth. Often times the effects are so effective that our patients don’t remember sounds, smells or details of the procedure. It’s all a calm blur and before the patients know it, they are done and on their way to normal life again.
Come Accompanied with a Driver
Due to the powerful effects of painless sedation dentistry, our patients must be accompanied by a driver when they come in for a procedure. In some cases, we may instruct the patients to take the sedative the night before their procedure. This inhibits their ability to drive safely. Judgment may be impaired after sedation dentistry is in effect.
Advantages of Sedation Dentistry at Dental Care of Mid Florida:
- relieved fear
- alleviated anxiety
- less pain
- increased effectiveness of dental visit
- quicker procedure time
- increased safety
- no needles
Dental Care of Mid Florida’s Available Sedatives
Before administering any sedative, our dentists fully analyze our patient’s full medical history and note any current medications that patient takes.
We have compiled a list of our most commonly used dental sedatives:
Oral Conscious Sedation
We recommend oral conscious sedation for anyone who fears needles. This sedative is taken orally prior to the treatment and induces a moderate state of sedation. Then an additional amount of the sedative is taken during the procedure as necessary. This is a powerful way of dulling the senses so the patient remains calm throughout the whole procedure. An additional benefit is that patients often forget the whole experience making it easier for them to come back in the future with less anxiety or fear.
Nitrous Oxide
This is often called “laughing gas.” When the patient comes in for the procedure, we place a nose hood of the patient’s face for the entirety of the procedure. This sedation method gives the patient an elevated mood while relieving the patient’s anxiety and reducing pain. All the patient may feel is some tingling or numbness. Additionally, very few side effects are associated with this trusted sedation method.
IV Sedation
This is a very mild sedation experience. Our patients usually think that they slept through the whole procedure when they have IV sedation. Usually there is some grogginess when the IV sedative fades after the procedure. We employ this sedative during shorter procedures and administer it by directly injecting it into the patient’s bloodstream.
The TYpes of Oral Sedation Drugs we Use:
Primarily the oral sedation drugs are classified as benzodiazepines. Benzodiazepines are known for reducing anxiety, calming muscle spasms, and aiding in insomnia or relieving seizures. The effects of benzodiazepines can last for different amounts of time, so we determine which drug to administer depending on the type of procedure we are performing.
Dental Care of Mid Florida’s Common Sedation Drugs:
Valium® – We use this strong sedative for complex, long procedures.
Halcion® – This sedative is employed for short procedures.
Ativan® – When we need to alleviate our patients’ anxiety we use ativan for shorter procedures.
Versed® – We employ this sedative rarely when a very short procedure is necessary. It is often compared to nitrous oxide.
Ask us any questions about painless Sedation Dentistry Florida! We are here to help. Contact us here.