Sedation & Relaxation for Dental Phobia
Many people are afraid to go to the dentist because of all the pain and fear that
has been traditionally related with dentistry. This dental phobia is very common
but what we don’t realize is that this affects our health and general wellness.
Now there is a solution for dental phobia; it is called Sedation dentistry. It is
a type of anesthesia used to make your anxiety disappear; making you feel as if
you “slept” through all your dental procedure. Our Burbank Dentist and dentists
all over the world are using sedation dentistry with nervous patients, or on those
who want to be relaxed, while dental procedures are being performed.
Now days, oral sedation dentistry is the most common method used in the U.S. to
control the dental fears and phobias of patients. The technique is very simple and
does not require needles to experience a pain-free dental procedure.
Benefits of Sedation Dentistry
- People often feel like their dental procedure lasts only a few minutes, when in
fact it might have taken hours to perform
- Perfect during procedures that require an extensive amount of time in the treatment
chair
- Ideal for patients who exhibit dental phobia or have difficulty controlling their
movements (Including children)
- Sedation dentistry enables you to be kept awake throughout the entire procedure,
but you will feel comfortable, relaxed and likely won’t remember much about your
treatment.
Sedation Methods:
There are different sedation methods used depending on the characteristics of the
patient to be treated. Some of the methods are: intravenous sedation, nitrogen oxide
sedation, oral medications and general anesthesia.
- IV Sedation
Intravenous sedation (IV Sedation) also known as sleep dentistry is a procedure
in which our Burbank dentist uses a safe medication to keep the patient relaxed
while Dr. O’Brien completes the dental procedure. You will remain conscious and
will be able to respond to the dentist at all times, but will be much more relaxed.
- Nitrous Oxide Sedation
Nitrous oxide sedation is a non-toxic and colorless gas that helps people defeat
their anxieties, it is also known as laughing gas. It is safe, doesn't irritate
and it removes by itself. We use this gas on patients that need to be relaxed while
they perform a dental procedure; it is particularly useful in children. The patient
stays completely conscious and can respond to the dentist all the time.
- Oral Conscious Sedation
Oral conscious sedation consists of taking one sedative pill one hour before the
dental appointment. This pill allows the patients to feel free of anxiety and fears,
helping them to relax. This safe pill may last up to six or seven hours; the patient
is completely conscious and can respond to our Burbank dentist at all times.
- General Anesthesia
This method of dental sedation refers to the use of anesthesia to leave the patient
unconscious. The difference with other sedation methods is that with general anesthesia
the patient will be completely unaware of his/her surroundings, making the use of
local anesthesia unnecessary.
"If you have had problems in the past with traumatic experiences in the
dental office, let me show you how easy it is to save your smile while you “sleep”
in our fully equipped state of the art private operating facility."
Gary R. O’Brien, D.D.S.
Dentist near Burbank, CA
