Tips for Relieving Dental Anxiety

Tips for Relieving Dental Anxiety

The prospect of oral surgery can be a daunting one, and it’s understandable when patients experience some level of anxiety before undergoing a surgical procedure. Unfortunately, some patients are so fearful that they will postpone treatment until an emergency occurs, which usually means that they end up enduring more discomfort than they would have if they had just proceeded with oral surgery in a timely fashion at first.

If some surgical procedure has been recommended in your case, you may want to consult with a sedation dentist to learn more about your options.

A sedation dentist will administer anti-anxiety medications that help patients relax and overcome any lingering worries about the surgery. After the sedative’s effects wear off, patients have no recollection of the procedure.

Oral surgery patients also have the option to choose general anesthesia instead of sedation, but some prefer sedation for a number of reasons. Although they are deeply relaxed, patients remain conscious while under sedation, and they can continue to respond to the oral surgeon’s commands.

Additionally, while general anesthesia necessitates artificial airway maintenance during the procedure, sedation does not. Patients who opt for sedation generally remain able to breathe on their own throughout the appointment.

Sedation dentistry can also be beneficial to patients facing complex, time-intensive procedures, even if they are not particularly fearful of the surgery. The medications allow patients to tolerate longer surgical sessions, which can reduce the number of overall appointments needed for some interventions.

Sedatives can be administered in different ways, including orally or intravenously, depending on the patient’s needs. Your oral surgeon can discuss these choices with you in greater detail as part of the planning process for your procedure.

Addressing your dental anxiety can make for a more comfortable trip to the dentist, and it’s particularly important if your fear is so severe that it keeps you from getting dental care at all. Contact the office of Dr. Carlos Ibanez and explore sedation dentistry as a method for overcoming the obstacles that keep you from obtaining the dental treatments that you need.