One of the best ways to ensure your teeth and gums remain healthy is to visit the dentist regularly. However, fear of the dentist can prevent people from scheduling checkups, cleanings, or essential dental work. For patients who experience anxiety about visiting the dentist, sedation dentistry can help. Dr. Brett Bridgeman, the highly skilled dentist at Bridgeman Dental in Plano, TX, offers sedation dentistry to reduce anxiety and help you relax during dental appointments.

How Sedation Dentistry Works

The purpose of sedation dentistry is to help patients feel more relaxed and at ease during dental appointments. Sedation dentistry is especially beneficial to individuals with severe dental phobia, in which the sights, sounds, and smells of a dental office can induce fear and anxiety. With sedation dentistry, mild sedatives are used to reduce anxiety and help patients relax so they can receive the dental treatment they need for a healthy mouth.

Sedation dentistry utilizes inhaled, intravenous, or oral medications. The sedatives are mild so patients remain conscious during the appointment, but without all the fear and anxiety they normally experience. This makes it possible to complete much-needed dental work in fewer appointments. The knowledgeable dentist at our office in Plano, TX, can explain more about each method of sedation and help you decide if sedation dentistry is just what you need to help you feel less anxious and more relaxed during dental appointments.

Benefits of Sedation Dentistry

There are a number of benefits to sedation dentistry. Some of the primary benefits include:

Reduced Anxiety: The mild sedatives used in sedation dentistry significantly reduce stress and anxiety for patients will mild to severe dental phobia. Sedation calms the nerves and helps patients relax so they no longer feel anxious during appointments.

Less Pain and Discomfort:  The fear that dental procedures will be painful can keep some people from scheduling routine checkups or necessary dental work. Sedation dentistry helps minimize oral pain and discomfort by increasing tolerance to pain.

Fewer Appointments:  Patients with dental phobia cannot always endure lengthy appointments for extensive dental work. Multiple appointments might be needed to complete everything. By putting anxious patients at ease, sedation dentistry makes it possible to complete lengthy dental procedures in fewer appointments. Additionally, the sedatives help time to go by more quickly for patients.

Sedation dentistry helps reduce anxiety and fear over dental appointments. Dr. Bridgeman can discuss sedation dentistry in more detail. It could be the solution you need for overcoming dental phobia. To schedule an appointment with the dentist, call Bridgeman Dental in Plano, TX, at (972) 424-7581.