Do You Have These Medical Conditions? If So, Sedation Dentistry May Be Right For You

Many people assume that sedation dentistry is just for individuals who fear going to the dentist. However, sedation dentistry is also useful for individuals who suffer from a variety of different medical conditions. If you have one of the conditions listed below, sedation dentistry may be the best way to get the dental care you need without the pain.

Low Pain Threshold

If in general you have a low pain threshold, a trip to the dentist for even a simple cleaning can feel like torture with all the scraping of plaque and the poking around inside of your mouth with metal instruments.

Sedation dentistry is designed for people with low pain thresholds. In order to help you cope with the procedure, you will be given sedative drugs that make it so that you don't feel a thing as you get your teeth cleaned and any other necessary dental work performed.

Sensitive Teeth

If your teeth and gums are overly sensitive to hot and cold foods, and tend to bleed if you brush them too roughly or floss too harshly, sedation dentistry can help you out. Additional anesthetics can be applied to your mouth so that it feels numb during your cleaning and procedure, and you don't have to feel every little movement inside of your mouth.

Chronic Jaw Soreness

Some individuals have a really tough time keeping their mouths open for an extended period of time due to chronic jaw soreness. It can be not only physically painful to keep your mouth open, it can be mentally challenging as well.

In cases like this, your dentist would apply a local anesthetic to ease the pain of keeping your mouth open. They may also provide you with nitrous oxide so that your mind doesn't fixate on the pain and on what is going on.

Bad Or Active Gag Reflex

Some individuals have more active gag reflexes than others. If you easily gag when you brush your teeth everyday, it can be very uncomfortable to have dental instruments inside of your mouth for an extended period of time. Gagging too many times in a row can even make you sick. In a case like this, your dentist may just sedate you during the procedure so that you are not awake, aware and gagging the whole time.

If you suffer from any of the four conditions above, you should talk to your local sedation dental practice and see how they can help you overcome your condition and get the dental assistance you need. Sedation dentistry can be used to allow you to get through your yearly dental appointments as well as larger procedures, such as dental implants. For more information, contact a dentist in your area like Jeffrey S. Thaller DMD.