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Sedation Dentistry: Oral Sedatives
Posted by GuestPoster in Health & Fitness
How many times have found yourself in the sitting room of a dental practice, witnessing a child scream and cry as he or she is led into the operating room? Probably too many to count. Although children are particularly susceptible to becoming fearful of going to the dentist, a sizable number of adults also share this anxiety. Some are able to successfully suppress it and continue attending scheduled visits every six months. They may even get so comfortable that they receive Lumineers porcelain veneers in Houston or other cosmetic work. It usually helps when they’re able to find a kind and gentle practitioner for treatment. Others aren’t quite as lucky. They continue to visit dentists who are insensitive to their needs and develop a tremendous fear of the profession. It gets to a point where they completely stop going for years at a time. It is only when pain from a cracked tooth or similar becomes so uncontrollable that they reluctantly give into the pain and visit a local dentist.
The dentistry profession has taken major steps to accommodate the needs of fearful patients and this is painfully obvious thanks to the advent of sedation dentistry. Sedation dentistry doesn’t refer to putting people under while undergoing dental procedures. This type of sedation is reserved for patients requiring actual surgery. Rather, it refers to the use of relaxing agents based on a class of medications known as benzodiazepines. These medications are usually indicated for use in anti-anxiety and insomnia applications and taking them usually results in a decrease in heart rate and breathing rate. They have been determined safe for use in performing general dentistry procedures as well as aesthetic work like Lumineers dental veneers.
Patients are instructed to take these drugs a few hours before their procedure begins, allowing them to arrive at the dentist’s office in an already relaxed state. Since they can impair mechanical and cognitive function, it is often necessary for the patient to arrive with someone who can take them back home and supervise them for a few hours. Benzodiazepines have the added advantage of inducing what is known as anterograde amnesia. This means that from the point you take the medications, to the time they wear off you may be unable to create new memories. This can be very helpful for patients that exhibit dental phobia, encouraging them to seek further treatment under sedation dentistry.
Generally, very few risks come coupled with taking oral benzodiazepines. Overdosing is rare but possible, which is why you should follow your doctor’s instructions carefully. There is a risk of developing dependency with these types of medications, although continued use must last for several weeks before this is possible, so patients have nothing to fear. A competent sedation dentist will be able to answer any questions you may have about sedation techniques and the respective risk factors involved.
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