How an Oral Sedative Can Help With Anxiety During Your Next Dental Visit

Taking an oral sedative can ease your dental phobia. People who have this type of problem can prevent them from having proper dental care. Frequent cancelations of dental visits can lead to the worsening of oral problems. It can prevent you from losing teeth and developing general health issues. If you want to know how taking an oral sedative can help with your dental anxiety, here are the details.

The process of oral sedation

Using an oral sedative allows an anxious patient to achieve calmness and relaxation. The process is comfortable and simple. The dentist will take the patient’s health history. Then, the dentist will take dental X-rays to see the status of the concealed jawbone.

A visual inspection of the teeth, gums, and soft tissues will be next. This will give the dentist an idea of what kind of treatment to provide in the next dental visit. The dentist will discuss the types of oral sedation available. Then, the patient will receive a prescription of either an anti-anxiety or anxiolytic medication before the patient leaves.

The dentist will instruct the patient when to take the oral sedative. It will be the night before the dental visit. A family member or friend will accompany the patient to the next dental appointment. The dental clinic staff will check the patient’s anxiety level for the dental visit. The dentist will increase the dose of the sedative if the patient is not calm enough. The staff will check the patient’s vital signs during the dental visit.

The patient will feel as if the procedure has only taken minutes and not hours because of the oral sedative. Remembering the procedure will be little or none. Having a family member or friend with the patient will help the patient get to the clinic and return home. The sedative’s effects will go away the following day. Someone helping the patient around the house is ideal.

Candidates for oral sedation

An oral sedative can help patients with anxiety or fear of dental instruments or treatments. The dentist can also recommend this type of sedation if the patient has a sensitive gag reflex. This will be a suggestion as well if local anesthetics do not affect the patient. Taking a sedative can also help patients with back or neck pain.

Precautions

Alcoholic beverages can act as a sedative. Combining the oral sedative with alcohol can lead to dangerous symptoms. Cessation in breathing and loss of consciousness are a couple of these life-threatening symptoms. Taking the sedative with water or juice is enough.

Mixing sedatives with other medications is not a healthy practice at all. Doing so will result in drowsiness, harmful side effects, and overdose. Oral sedatives will harm the fetus of a pregnant woman as well. Seeing a doctor about sedation alternatives will be ideal for pregnant women.

The advantages

People with dental anxiety have the most difficult time completing a dental appointment. Children and adults can have this type of fear. The most effective way to deal with dental anxiety is to take an oral sedative. Here are some of the advantages of this technique:

• It does not involve needles. Many people are put off by the use of needles. The pain from this tool is what keeps patients away from dental clinics. Oral sedatives are easy to take and quick to relax.
• It helps the patient forget the appointment. People with significant dental anxiety can go through the treatment and not remember it anymore. This can help the patient form pleasant memories about the dental clinic.
• It is easy to use. The patient just needs to swallow the tablet about an hour before the dental appointment. This will allow the patient to stay half-awake and maintain a little control. The patient can respond to the dentist’s instructions during the treatment.
• It has minor side effects. Oral sedatives are FDA-approved for dental care. If the patient does experience side effects, they are only minimal. This allows the patient to continue with regular activities after the treatment.

Taking an oral sedative can help ease your dental anxiety during your dental visits

Fearing dental procedures and dental instruments is a problem. It can prevent you from getting the right dental treatments you need. Going to your dentist for a dental check will determine if you qualify for taking an oral sedative. Preparing for your long dental procedure will be easier with oral sedatives.

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