Dental anxiety and dental phobia are real and affect millions of people all over the globe. In fact, over 25 percent of people miss dental checkups because they have a fear of the dentist.
Thankfully, the Dental Views offer IV Sedation for patients who are skipping dental appointments because they can’t stand to sit in the chair.
While IV sedation will not put you to sleep, it will help you feel relaxed. Referred to as conscious sedation you won’t have any idea of what is going on or what your dentist is doing in your mouth. However, you are able to respond to requests. Unlike Nitrous oxide or pill sedation, IV sedation is administered intravenously through your blood vein.
Your candidacy depends on your overall health. The Dental Views will go over your medical history and medication, including alternative medicine, before making a decision about IV sedation.
Older people who have health issues may need to schedule an appointment with a primary care physician before proceeding with IV sedation.
The Dental Views will give you instructions before your dental appointment. These will include no food or drink six to eight hours before your procedure. It is also recommended that you stop medications unless approved by your doctor.
Because you will be groggy after your appointment, you will need to find someone who can take you to and from the dental practice as well.
When you are comfortable, The Dental Views team will insert an IV into your arm or hand. All of your medications, such as steroids, anti-inflammatories and pain medications are normally administered through your IV as well.
While you are having treatment, your vitals, including blood pressure, breathing and pulse are constantly monitored. While you are under IV sedation, you won’t be aware of smells, sights, or sounds.
Once your dental treatment is completed, you will drowsy for a few hours. Any post op instructions are given to your driver for you to take home.
You will need about 24 hours to recuperate from IV sedation. This means no alcohol, heavy machinery operation, or unapproved meds.
While complications are quite rare it is imperative that you contact The Dental Views immediately if something doesn’t seem right.
Not all dental practices provide patients with this type of sedation. IV sedation requires additional education and training. The Dental Views are licensed and have the experience and expertise to provide you with IV sedation for dental fear.
Though uttered by fear by many a patient, root canals are not nearly as awful as people make them out to be—and they are highly important for patients whose tooth decay or injury has caused an infection within the pulp portion of the mouth. This type of infection may go unnoticed at first, but as time goes on individuals may feel swelling in their mouths or an abscess. Our dentists can remove the infection and prevent it from spreading through a root canal. And thankfully, laser root canals offered these days can make the process, more comfortable and faster and often do a more thorough job than the conventional method.
An alternative to having a root canal done is pulp capping, which an option when the infection has not yet penetrated the interior tooth. This option prevents a large dental filling from getting too close to a nerve.