Every day there are perhaps millions of people who visit dentists without any incident. As well as these patients who have no problems, there are also many patients who experience undue anxiety or stress. The reasons for these issues are many, perhaps going all the way back to an unfortunate experience in childhood. There is no reason for these anymore as modern dentists in Catasaqua PA can turn to sedation dentistry, a way to make the patient comfortable and at ease while undergoing treatment.
There are different levels of sedation that the dentist can use; in all cases the patient remains conscious. Conscious sedation is very different from full sedation where the patient is rendered unconscious through the use of anesthesia. Conscious sedation has three categories depending on the apprehension of the patient.
* Light sedation: Light sedation may use oral medications or nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas. These methods help to promote a relaxed feeling for the patient; they feel very calm but remain fully awake and aware of what is going on. While the patient is in the dental chair he or she may feel a slight impairment in cognitive skills, these patients will remember the appointment and the treatment shortly after they leave the chair.
* Moderate sedation: Dentists in Catasaqua PA will still use oral medications and laughing gas; they may also use an IV to induce a deeper state of relaxation. There is a method which is referred to as the “one pill” treatment; this is pill containing triazolam which is taken an hour or so before the treatment starts. In addition to putting the patient into a very relaxed mode, the medication normally results in little or no memory of what happened. Moderate sedation is ideal for those patients who will be undergoing a considerable number of appointments due to their dental condition.
* Deep sedation: If it can be avoided the dentist would prefer not to use deep sedation. Patients are put into a partially unconscious state and they cannot understand or respond to instructions that the dentist will give, making it difficult for the dentist. In some cases, patients who are deeply sedated need help breathing as well.
Regardless of the degree of sedation, if you have had a bad experience at one time that makes going to the dentist traumatic, sedation dentistry is for you.
If you have experienced issues with dentists in the past, you can forget it and begin to improve your dental health today by making an appointment with dentists in Catasauqua PA that care. You are invited to call Curmaci Dental, the one dentist for the entire family. Click here to know more.
