There are many people who avoid going to the dentist because of one major deterrent…Fear. The individual may have developed that fear for one of many reasons. For example, they may have had a traumatic dental experience as a child or they may have heard stories of others negative dental experiences. The patient may also have a case of generalized anxiety. Many people cannot properly cope with the idea of not feeling like they are in control.
 
These are just a few examples of why someone may develop dental anxiety, but the end result is almost always the same. The patient puts off necessary dental care and their mouth can end up in a state of neglect or worse. Many of these people end up living in chronic dental pain.
 
The good news is that there is now an answer for these dental phobic patients. Sedation dentistry is a growing field and the doctors at Agnini Family Dental Center are specially trained, licensed and experienced with sedation dentistry and are members of the Florida Academy of Dental Anesthesiology.
  The three most common methods used for obtaining dental sedation are nitrous oxide (laughing gas), oral sedation (obtained thorough relaxing and anti-anxiety medication), and IV conscious sedation.
   
  Nitrous oxide otherwise known as laughing gas is a safe and time proven technique that is commonly used in dentistry. The patient will usually become very relaxed and can experience some tingling sensations in parts of their body and feelings of euphoria. Patients under nitrous oxide generally don’t go to sleep, but commonly report the experience as positive and many claim that the dental procedure performed seemed to last only a fraction of its actual time. Another positive aspect of nitrous oxide is that most patients will not need someone to drive them to their office visit as the effects are usually gone within minutes of the gas being discontinued.
   
  Oral sedation is a simple concept that involves the patient taking a relaxing pill or maybe a combination of relaxing and anti-anxiety pills just an hour or so before the dental procedure. These pills are either administered at the office or prescribed by the dentist for the patient to take before the appointment.
   
  A patient undergoing oral sedation must always have an escort (driver) bring them to and from the dental office and the patient may not operate a vehicle for the remainder of the day as the effects of the drug may still be in the patients system for some time. Some patients may be recommended a combination of oral and nitrous oxide sedation.
   
  IV conscious sedation is a technique that allows the patient to sleep or just stay completely relaxed for the duration of the dental procedure, including the administration of local anesthetic. IV conscious sedation comes with a great degree of safety because the dentist has much more control over the level of patient comfort and sedation because of the IV. The patient remains in complete control of their own instinctive reflexes like breathing and swallowing and is usually responsive to verbal stimulation. This allows for easy arousal of the patient after the procedure is completed.
   
  With IV conscious sedation, the patient will usually have no or very little memory of the entire procedure and will many times feel as though they slept the entire time. The benefits of this sedation technique are numerous, but rapid onset of sedation and rapid recovery all while giving the dentist more control of your overall comfort level are just a few. During IV conscious sedation, the patient’s vital signs will be monitored at all times and an escort is also needed to and from the dental office .The patient also may not drive after leaving the office for the remainder of the day.
   
  A thorough medical history will be taken by one of our doctors at your consultation appointment to determine which form of sedation dentistry is right for you. Our doctors will also answer any questions you may have and will go over all instructions regarding your dental treatment as well as for your sedation at this visit.
   
 

Call Agnini Family Dental Center to schedule your consultation today.