5 Ways Sedation Dentistry Can Alleviate Dental Fear and Anxiety

Do you find yourself feeling nervous or anxious at the prospect of visiting the dentist? Do you avoid the dentist’s chair at all costs? If so, you may be one of the countless individuals suffering from dental anxiety or phobia. Often borne out of poor prior dental experiences, dental anxiety and dental phobia can prevent patients from seeking necessary dental care, potentially compromising their overall health and wellbeing.

For individuals living with dental phobia or anxiety, sedation dentistry is quickly becoming a popular option for overcoming fears. If you are thinking about incorporating dental sedation into your upcoming procedure, consider the following.

Sedation dentistry varies: There are several levels of dental sedation, ranging from mild to moderate to deep sedation. While undergoing these varying forms of sedation, patients remain conscious yet often don’t remember the details of their procedure, making it ideal for nervous patients.

Dental sedation is safe: This form of dentistry uses safe medications to encourage relaxation during procedures. As sedation treatment plans are developed based on the unique needs of each patient following an in-depth examination of their health history, patients only receive effective and safe treatments.

Sedation is Versatile: Given the varying levels of sedation available and the safety of the treatment, dental sedation can be applied to a variety or procedures, ranging from routine cleaning through extensive oral surgeries. This offers extremely anxious patients the opportunity to receive even basic dental care in a relaxed environment.

Minimal Lasting Effects: While it is recommended that patients enlist the assistance of a friend or family member to drive them home, the medication used in mild and moderate sedation wears off quickly, leaving minimal side effect. For patients undergoing deep sedation and general anesthesia, the medication is often reversed at the end of the procedure.

Pain-free Dental Care: Often, patients undergoing sedation dentistry also receive local anesthesia which numbs the area receiving treatment. This way, patients are able to remain conscious during their procedure yet feel little to no pain. In the long-run, this can help alleviate patient’s fears of pain during their procedure, allowing them to overcome their anxiety.

With two offices conveniently located in both Lorton and Springfield, Northern Virginia oral surgeon Dr. Snehal Patel is pleased to offer a number of dental sedation options for nervous and anxious patients. For more information about the advantages of sedation dentistry, contact our practice today.

                                                

Dental Sedation 101

For individuals of all ages, even routine dental procedures can be nerve-wracking experiences. For these patients, sedation dentistry offers the opportunity to undergo dental treatment in a comfortable, relaxed state.

What is Sedation Dentistry?

Often mislabeled as sleep dentistry, sedation dentistry or dental sedation uses medication to help patients relax during their dental procedure. Many patients suffering from dental anxiety or phobia may find dental sedation to be a helpful addition to their upcoming procedure. As the medication is safe for almost all patients, it can be utilized throughout almost any procedure, such as routine cleanings as well as extensive surgical procedures.

Dental Sedation Options

There are varying levels of dental sedation, each of which are recommended based on the patient’s needs as well as their upcoming procedure. These levels include:

Minimal sedation: This light sedation is frequently recommended to children or patients undergoing routine cleanings. Often administered in the form of nitrous oxide, otherwise known as laughing gas, minimal sedation allows patients to remain completely conscious yet relaxed during their procedure. As the medication wears off relatively quickly, patients are able to drive home by the end of their appointment.

Moderate sedation: Administered orally as a pill, patients undergoing moderate sedation remain conscious and responsive throughout their procedure. However, many often do not remember the details of their procedure. As a result, moderate sedation is an ideal option for individuals suffering from dental anxiety or phobia or patients undergoing more complex procedures.

Deep Sedation: Also known as intravenous sedation, the medication used in this form of dental sedation is administered intravenously under the close eye of a specially trained sedation professional. Similar to moderate sedation, patients remain conscious yet many feel as if they are asleep. Deep sedation is frequently recommended for individuals undergoing surgical procedures as it allows the dentist to complete a number of procedures during one session.

General Anesthesia: Unlike other forms of sedation which can be completed in the dentists’ office, general anesthesia requires that patients are admitted to a hospital or surgery center where a certified anesthesiologist can monitor the individual’s vital signs. General anesthesia is often reserved for extensive procedures, such as facial reconstruction or TMJ surgery. 

Considering Dental Sedation? Contact Us Today

At the oral surgery practice of Dr. Snehal Patel, our team is proud to offer a variety of sedation options for our Northern Virginia patients. For more information about the different uses of dental sedation, contact Lorton Springfield Dental Implants and Oral Surgery today. With two offices conveniently located in Lorton and Springfield, our oral surgeon can help you determine which sedation option best suits your needs. 

Preparing for Wisdom Teeth Extraction

It is important that wisdom teeth are removed early. Waiting to remove wisdom teeth can put patients at risk of dental infection, gum disease, and jaw alignment problems, compromising the patient’s oral and overall health.

At Lorton Springfield Dental Implants & Oral Surgery, our highly skilled surgical team is dedicated to helping patients prepare for upcoming wisdom teeth extraction.

What happens in the procedure?

The process of removing wisdom teeth is relatively straightforward. During the initial consultation, Dr. Patel uses an iTero intraoral camera to obtain highly detailed images of the patient’s dentition.
Using this cutting-edge technology, he is able to determine if teeth are impacted and in what direction they are growing. This scanning method allows Dr. Patel to strategize the best way to extract third molars without damaging the surrounding teeth or tissues

To remove the teeth, Dr. Patel applies a local anesthetic to numb the area around the wisdom teeth. A small incision is then made in the gum tissue over the tooth and any overlying bone is removed. The connective tissue attaching the tooth to the jaw bone is separated and the tooth is removed. For easier removal, Dr. Patel may cut the tooth into smaller pieces. Once the wisdom tooth and its fragments are completely removed, the gum is stitched back together and gauze is placed over the treatment site.

What are my sedation options?

We recognize that some patients may feel anxious over the prospect of being awake during extraction. At Lorton Springfield Dental Implants & Oral Surgery, Dr. Patel and our surgical staff are trained to offer patients intravenous (IV) sedation during their wisdom teeth procedure. Due to the amnesiac side effect of IV sedation, patients are conscious and responsive during the procedures, but will not remember having their teeth removed.

Sedation options are discussed during the first consultation with Dr. Patel. Before wisdom teeth extraction, patients must refrain from consuming food and drinks (including water) starting at midnight the night before the procedure. We also require IV sedation patients to bring a driver with them to the appointment. The driver must stay in the office the full appointment time and be able to take the patient home.

If you are exhibiting discomfort caused by wisdom teeth, contact our Lorton and Springfield offices for further information on preparing for wisdom teeth extraction.