Patient Forms 
For patients who are nervous about visiting the dentist or undergoing dental procedures, sedation dentistry provides a way to comfortably do so. It’s important to regularly have checkups to maintain a healthy mouth and treat problems as soon as they occur, so skipping dental visits is not a smart choice. Consider sedation dentistry if you are one of the people avoiding the dentist.
Purpose
Sedation dentistry allows those who have not been going to the dentist because of fear or anxiety to go for checkups in a relaxed and confident manner.
Description
Sedation dentistry doesn’t always mean the same thing as being completely unconscious as in a major surgery. Many times with sedation dentistry, the drugs involved only cause relaxation or drowsiness. Nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, for example simply creates a feeling of relaxation that allows the dentist to do his work while the patient feels at ease.
Effects
Most types of sedation dentistry cause the patient to forget what went on during treatment even though awake throughout the process. This is appealing to many because it increases the patient’s willingness to go to subsequent visits since no negative memories exist. The body’s relaxation also creates less pain during and after treatment, because the jaw isn’t tense and there aren’t overall feelings of stress. The positive effects of sedation dentistry are both physical and mental.
Availability
If you are interested in trying sedation dentistry, ask your dentist about options. Not every dentist provides this service, so make sure you ask when selecting a dentist if this is part of their practice.
