Any dentist will tell you that there’s no shortage of patients that are made anxious by oral healthcare. For people with dental anxiety, sedation is a common method of making their necessary appointments more tolerable, and even enjoyable!
However, this isn’t all that sedation dentistry is capable of; it’s a versatile tool that can make all kinds of dental treatments easier for a wide variety of patients. In fact, depending on your circumstances, it might even be perfect for you. Here are a few examples of situations besides dental anxiety where sedation dentistry can make a difference.
Making Longer Treatments Shorter
There are all kinds of variables that can affect the potential length of your dental treatment. An example is the quality of compliance with the dentist’s instructions, which can sometimes become a little bit difficult in the case of longer procedures.
Sedation can often make this a little bit easier; staying relaxed for your treatment allows you to listen more carefully to instructions, and take fewer breaks to rest your mouth. If you’re in need of a procedure that could stretch over several hours, sedation may make the procedure a little faster.
Suppressing Physiological Responses
Some patients have difficulty with their dental care for reasons that have absolutely nothing to do with anxiety. For one, some people naturally have strong gag reflexes that make it nearly impossible to hold still for the duration of a dental treatment.
Interestingly, sedatives tend to have more than just a mental effect on patients; it can also suppress these involuntary physiological responses, making dental treatment considerably easier. If you have a strong gag reflex, you might want to talk to your dentist about their sedation options before your next appointment.
Special Needs Patients
If you have a loved one with special needs, like someone with autism, you’re probably acutely aware that getting them to sit still can be difficult sometimes. For this reason, sedation dentistry and care for special needs patients often goes hand-in-hand.
If you have ADHD, you might also find that sitting still and obeying the dentists instructions is difficult, and that you have to take frequent breaks to make care tolerable. Sedatives can help you to relax, making treatment go quicker and more smoothly.
About Our Practice
At Ponte Vedra Complete Dentistry, we believe that dentistry doesn’t have to feel like a necessary evil. The time you spend in our office should be an opportunity to relax and take care of yourself; from our compassionate dental team to the sedation options we have on offer, you’ll be able to get the care you need without stressing out at all.
If you have any questions about sedation dentistry, we can be reached at our website or by phone at (904) 285-7711.