Reducing Anxiety With Sedation Dentistry

Dental phobia is a real problem. As many as 9-20% of Americans avoid dental visits due to anxiety. Sedation dentistry is one common approach to helping patients manage their fear of the dentist.

Facts about dental phobia

While often used interchangeably, there are actually shades of difference between dental anxiety and dental phobia. Dental phobia is more serious, causing people to panic and display classic avoidance behavior. Dental phobes often experience symptoms such as crying or physical illness at the thought of going to the dentist, difficulty sleeping before a dental visit, intense feelings of stress that worsen in the waiting room, and adverse physical reactions to dental implements.

Causes of dental phobia

Some of the common reasons for dental anxiety and phobia include a variety of fears. The ideal way to deal with the following fears is to discuss them with the dentist.

• Fear of numbing agents: includes worry about side effects such as faintness, nausea, or the "fat lip" feeling that accompanies the numbing agent in the mouth
• Fear of being helpless: based on the vulnerable feeling of being in the dental chair at the mercy of the dentist
• Fear of injections: includes the common fear of needles combined with a fear that the numbing agents will not be effective
• Fear of embarrassment: includes the uncomfortable feeling of physical closeness to the dentist or embarrassment over the state of one's own teeth
• Fear of pain: usually stems from an unpleasant or painful early experience or hearing frightening stories from others

Signs of dental phobia

Those who experience dental anxiety generally report symptoms such as unusual sweating, a racing heartbeat, heart palpitations, signs of panic, visible levels of distress, uncontrollable crying, low blood pressure, and feelings of faintness or actual loss of consciousness. 

Some victims of dental anxiety or phobia display behavioral changes, such as emotional withdrawal. Others use humor to hide their anxiety, and still, others become argumentative or even combative. Those with dental anxiety find it physically impossible to voluntarily submit to dental treatment, and as a result, often cancel or skip their dental appointments to avoid undergoing scheduled procedures.

The use of sedation dentistry to relieve dental anxiety

Sedation dentistry uses medication to assist in the relaxation of patients. While it is occasionally called "sleep dentistry," this title is inaccurate as patients are generally awake during their procedure.

Sedation levels may be minimal, in which you are relaxed but awake; moderate, which results in a deeper state of relaxation that often causes slurred words and the inability to remember the procedure; and deep sedation, which places you at the border of consciousness with the ability to wake as needed.

The process of sedation dentistry is relatively safe and appropriate for people who have anxiety that prevents them from receiving proper dental care.

Conclusion

Dental visits and associated treatments are critical to your overall health. If you have anxiety that is keeping you from your regular dental appointments, ask your dentist if sedation dentistry is the right choice for you.

Request an appointment here: https://siegertdental.com or call Siegert Dental at (608) 394-3943 for an appointment in our Onalaska office.

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