Dental anxiety, or dental phobia, is a very real condition that up to 15% of Americans experience. It is more serious than just getting sweaty palms at the thought of your upcoming dental appointment. Dental phobia can be a paralyzing fear of dental treatment or dentists in general. What many people may not realize is that patients with dental phobia do have ways to still get the dental care they need. Many Atlanta dentists, such as Gilreath Family Dentistry, offer Sedation Dentistry to help patients relax during dental procedures. This effective method can be administered during invasive procedures or just simple dental cleanings.
Gilreath Family Dentistry offers two forms for Sedation during dental work, Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas) and Oral Sedation using a medicine that you swallow. Nitrous Oxide is given to patients by way of a nose piece and provides a very comfortable level of sedation. This form of sedation goes away immediately after you stop breathing it. Oral sedative medications are also effective. They cause patients to become drowsy and even fall asleep. With oral sedatives, patients are still easily awakened. However, unlike Nitrous Oxide, patients who choose to take oral sedative medication will not be able to drive home. Whether your fear of dental work is a mild anxiety or a paralyzing fear, sedation dentistry may be your answer to making sure you stay on top of your oral health.
It is important to know that children can also benefit from Sedation dentistry as well. In fact, it is very common for dental phobia to be passed down from a parent. A recent study conducted in Spain and published in the International Journal of Pediatric Dentistry looked at 183 children between the ages of seven and twelve. It found that the greater the level of dentist fear or anxiety found in one family member, the higher the level in the rest of the family. This was especially true if the person with a dental phobia is the father. If this is true in your family, make sure to seek out a dentist that offers Sedation Dentistry to accommodate you or your child during essential dental treatments.
Posted on behalf of Dr. Paul Gilreath IV,
