Afraid of the dentist? Consider sleep dentistry to help put your mind at ease. Sleep dentistry, also known as conscious sedation or sedation dentistry, is a great option to relieve your fear. This procedure is simple and safe and can be performed in the office. It simply involves taking a pill which creates a relaxed, dream-like state comparable to sleeping.
| Sleep dentistry is a great technique to relieve your stress. |  |
Our dentists understand that trust is the most important element in successful sleep dentistry. All three dentists at Vista Dorada are members of the Dental Organization for Conscious Sedation (DOCS). Additionally, we have a permit and certification with the State of Arizona. We truly enjoy seeing fearful patients to partner with them in facing their fear.
What to Expect With Sleep Dentistry
Our dentist will order a prescription of Triazolam, a completely safe form of oral sedation. You will be instructed to take the medication prior to your appointment and you will then become sleepy. It is likely that you will experience amnesia where you won’t remember anything that took place during the appointment. The effects of the pill typically last for two to four hours and have been very successful in treating anxious dental patients. You will need to have a driver take you to and from your appointment since you will not be able to drive home until the effects wear off.
If you are interested in a milder form of sedation dentistry, you can consider the administration of nitrous oxide gas. This mild relaxant is breathed in by placing a mask over your nose. Nitrous oxide gives the patient a calm feeling and enables the local anesthetic to function properly, resulting in a comfortable experience. When the procedure is complete, you can even drive home from your dental appointment.
Benefits of Gilbert Sleep Dentistry
After meeting with one of our experienced dentists and you have determined that sleep dentistry is a good fit for you, here are some of the benefits to enjoy:
• As long as you have a trusting relationship with your dentist and are willing to relax and go to sleep, you will have little memory of the dental procedure.
• Some patients have difficult getting numb for dental work and we have found that oral sedation actually causes the anesthetics to intensify. This will allow the numbing to be successful for the duration of the procedure.
• You are able to endure complex dental procedures in one appointment. Since the dentist knows you are not in pain and are in a relaxed state, more dental work can actually be accomplished in a shorter time.
• Sleep dentistry allows invasive tooth extractions or root canal treatments to be delivered pain-free.
• If you are over-anxious about going to the dentist, this will aide in alleviating your dental fear. In many cases, patients are able to get over their fear using this method and eventually return to normal dental treatments without requiring sedation medication.
If you have any questions or would like to learn more information about your options, call us now to schedule a free 15-minute consultation.