02/15/2017 14:37
Half of Americans admit to some form of dental anxiety, which leads to a lot of negligence. Then there are those with full-blown dental phobia, related either to mental health or a traumatic experience usually in childhood. Since it’s important to get these patients into the dentist’s chair for regular checkups at the very least, most Los Angeles dentists offer some form of dental sedation. It is available to all, but is especially meaningful for patients with fears.
There are three levels of sedation. Minimal sedation is usually nitrous oxide, which takes the edge off the experience just enough to make it relaxed and bearable. Some patients take a benzodiazepine such as Valium an hour before their procedure. Obviously, this should be okayed with your dentist first.
In moderate sedation, an intravenous drug is given to induce drowsiness and amnesia. (For some patients, the memory of the procedure could be a future trigger.) IV sedation is great if you have a high gag reflex or don’t like pills. But it’s not so great if you fear needles.
Deep sedation is full unconsciousness, and is usually reserved for the longer, more complex procedures—or for the most severe cases of anxiety. Our expert in sedation dentistry in Los Angeles can tell you if you qualify. Patients who are in recovery from certain drug dependencies should not try dental sedation.
