Relaxed dental care through sedation dentistry

Many people postpone their appointments with the dentist due to the fear of the pain they have to undergo. For some, the sight of dental equipments itself is so repulsive that they want to immediately step out of the clinic. These are all the signs of phobias or anxieties that grip the person. Sedation dentistry practiced in Grand Haven, MI, has the key to this problem. In sedation dentistry, doctors use medication to put the patient to ease during the dental treatment.

With sedation dentistry in Grand Haven, MI,  simple cleaning of the teeth to complicated procedures can be managed through sedation dentistry. Sedation is of varying degrees like minimal, moderate and deep sedation. In all the levels of sedation, except deep sedation through general anesthesia, the patient is in a sleep-like state and can be awakened. They are mostly able to listen and respond to commands but they will not be able to recollect what had happened during the treatment. In these sedation levels, a pain killer will be administered to the patient to relieve them of the pain.  In general anesthesia, the patient will be completely unconscious and won't require a pain killer.

Common methods of sedation employed in sedation dentistry in Grand Haven, MI, are

1. Oral sedation

2. Inhalation sedation

Oral sedation is done by administering medicines as pills to the patients prior to the treatment. The effect depends on the dosage given which, in turn, depends on the time taken for the dental procedure and the extent of anxiety of the patient. Oral medicines are easy to administer and are prescribed by most of the dentists. But in oral sedation, the doctor cannot prolong the effect during the treatment. Due to the persistent effect of the pill, someone should accompany the patient during the treatment till they get back home.

Inhalation sedation is quite common and popularly followed in sedation dentistry in Grand Haven, MI. Here the patients are made to inhale doses of nitrous oxide (N2O) to ease them for the treatment. As the effect is rapid, the dentist can prolong the sedative effect with an additional dose during the treatment. But inhalation sedation works well only for mild to moderate anxiety and is not advisable for people suffering from asthma.

Apart from this, doctors also use Intra Venous sedation for minimal to moderate sedation and general anesthesia for deep sedation. Sedation dentistry is all about sleeping peacefully in the dental chair when your oral care is handled by your dentist.