What Is Dental Anxiety?
- By Mary Marks
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- 24 Jun, 2019
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The term dental anxiety is used for referring
to the fear, stress and anxiety associated with dental treatments and to the
circumstances surrounding dental treatments, often including not only the
procedure, the smells, sounds and tools associated with the intervention, but
also to the time spent in the dentist’s waiting room or even calling to make
the dental appointment. The problem usually has its roots in a traumatic
experience in the past – a rude dentist, a painful or scary intervention are
among the most common causes. There is help though with the dental techniques of
Sedation dentistry.
Such fears and anxiety are very often the reason why people neglect their visits to the dentist, so dental anxiety is among the most common indirect causes of dental issues. The person affected by the anxiety avoids dental appointments and tends to neglect the early signs of dental problems. While small dental issues, such as cavities are easy to detect in their early phases and the treatment is usually quick and almost completely painless, dental cavities and other similar problems tend to aggravate quickly, making the issue more complicated and more expensive to treat.
Overcoming dental anxiety is not easy, the best way being to find an understanding, compassionate dentist who is willing to help the patient conquer that fear by allowing the patient to sit into the chair without getting a treatment during the first few appointments and moving on to treating teeth gradually.
Although oral sedation dentistry Highlands Ranch is one of the optionsavailable for managing anxiety and discomfort during oral surgery, you certainly do not need to use it all the time. As a matter of fact, the exact type of sedation or anesthesia that you receive during oral procedures may depend on various factors, such as the complexity of the procedure, your medical problems, as well as your doctor’s preferences.
There can be several different levels of sedation that can be used in oral surgery. Local anesthesia is one of them. This involves injecting anesthetic medication into the specific area where the surgery will take place. It numbs the area and is often used for less invasive procedures.
Oral sedation involves taking medication in the form of a pill to induce a state of relaxation and drowsiness. The patient is still conscious, but he/she may not be fully aware of the procedure. At any rate, sedation helps him/her get rid of anxiety.
In the case of intravenous sedation, medication is administered through a vein, which induces a deeper state of sedation than oral sedation. Patients may still be conscious, but they are less aware of their surroundings and may not remember the procedure.
