You’ve likely heard of sedation dentistry at some point. More specifically, you may know that the field is especially good at reducing dental anxiety. Still, easing treatment fears isn’t the only thing oral sedatives can do. There happen to be lesser-known benefits of sedation dentistry as well. If you’d like, your local Dallas dentist can even tell you about them. To that end, here are four upsides to sedation dentistry besides anti-anxiety effects.
It Eases Discomfort
Aside from anxiety, patients may delay dental care due to a fear of pain. That’s understandable – nobody wants to undergo a painful procedure. However, putting off crucial treatment is still not a good idea. You’re likely to suffer worse problems in that case.
In reality, though, dental sedation can actually relieve treatment pain. It helps you relax and thus reduces discomfort during a procedure. Plus, some of its sedatives numb your pain receptors. You’d then be less likely to ache from care.
It Shortens Treatment Time
When you’re nervous about dental care, treatment often takes longer. That fact stems from how a dentist will spend time helping you comply with instructions. After all, a dental team can’t work quickly if the patient is overly fidgety or defiant.
All that said, sedation dentistry could reduce your treatment time. It’d leave you calm and compliant enough for a dentist to proceed smoothly. From there, you’d have more time in your schedule for other activities and tasks.
It Reduces Your Gag Reflex
The gag reflex ordinarily serves a crucial purpose. Namely, it allows your throat to expel intrusive, foreign objects. However, said reflex can be an obstacle in dental settings. An overly active one will interfere if a dentist must probe into your mouth.
Sedation dentistry, though, lets you avoid this issue. Its sedatives paralyze your throat for the duration of treatment. In doing so, it enables the dentist to work quickly, efficiently, and with patient comfort in mind.
It Helps You Forget
In most cases, people don’t want to experience amnesia. The condition can be a real hassle, even if temporary. However, it’s nonetheless helpful in the context of dental work.
You see, sedation dentistry can cause anterograde amnesia. This state keeps you from forming memories during dental care. As a result, it would prevent further buildup of your dental phobias. You’d then feel less fear at subsequent dental visits and see your dentist more willingly.
Ultimately, the lesser-known benefits of sedation dentistry are just as good as the main ones. Therefore, give serious thought to sedation for your next treatment.
About the Practice
Midtown Family Dentistry is based in Dallas, TX. Led by its five fantastic dentists, our practice tries to give each patient top-tier dental care. We thus offer preventive, cosmetic, and restorative treatments, as well as emergency services like tooth extractions and root canal therapy. Our office is also proud to provide both traditional braces and Invisalign clear aligners. For more information or to book a visit, you can reach us on our website or by phone at (469)-529-6016.