PHOENIX, AZ, May 19, 2011 (Press-News.org) Does the mere thought of going to the dentist make you uneasy? Do you routinely put off important dental work because of an irrational fear about the entire process? You are not alone. While dental anxiety often stems from a bad experience, sometimes just the sound of dental equipment or the prospect of a certain procedure can set patients on edge, even if they have no bad memories to draw from.
Dental anxiety is more common than you might think. To help patients relax and safely receive the dental treatment(s) they need, many dentists now offer sedation dentistry (also known as "relaxation dentistry").
Types of Sedation Dentistry
Sedation dentistry is designed to help you feel completely at ease during your dental visit. Even if you have significant amount of dental work that needs to be done, sedation dentistry techniques will keep you calm and stress-free during the entire procedure.
There are three main types of sedation dentistry. Your dentist may offer one or more of the following:
Oral sedatives - The most popular method, oral sedatives are taken before your visit and wear off a few hours later. You will need to arrange to have someone else drive you home.
Nitrous oxide - Better known as "laughing gas," nitrous oxide will be administered once you're in the dentist's chair. The effects of nitrous oxide wear off more quickly than those of an oral sedative, making it possible for you to drive yourself home.
IV Sedation - For patients with more severe dental anxiety, IV (intravenous) sedation will place you in a slightly deeper state of relaxation. The medication will be administered directly into your bloodstream, making the effects felt much more quickly than oral sedation. Throughout your appointment, your dentist will be able to adjust the level of IV sedation as necessary.
Under the effects of all of these methods, you will still be conscious of your surroundings and able to verbally respond to your dentist.
Sedation Dentistry vs. Sleep Dentistry
On very rare occasions, patients with extreme dental phobia may not respond to any of the above methods of sedation dentistry. In such cases, some dentists may offer the option of sleep dentistry. Sleep dentistry is different from sedation dentistry in that patients are placed into a deep, unconscious sleep through the use of general anesthesia. Since general anesthesia comes with inherent risks (such as the need for assisted breathing) and can only be administered by a qualified anesthesiologist, it is only recommended to patients who have tried sedation dentistry methods and found them ineffective.
Avoiding the dentist is never a good idea. Neglecting your oral health puts you at risk of developing more severe dental problems later in life that can be expensive and difficult to treat. Making regular check-up appointments with your dentist and having minor dental work done when recommended will save you time, money, and effort in the long run.
If you would like more information about how sedation dentistry can help you relax in the dental chair, please visit the website of experienced Phoenix sedation dentists Scott LeSueur, DDS & Charles Dodaro, DDS at http://www.drsofsmiles.com/.
Scared of the Dentist? Relax with Sedation Dentistry
Does the mere thought of going to the dentist make you uneasy? Do you routinely put off important dental work because of an irrational fear about the entire process? You are not alone.
2011-05-19
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
New cell therapy to prevent organ rejection
2011-05-19
Researchers at King's College London have used cells found naturally in the body, to re-educate the immune system to prevent rejection of an organ transplant while remaining capable of fighting infections and cancer.
Currently, patients must take immunosuppressant drugs to prevent a new organ from being rejected after transplantation. However, these drugs suppress the entire immune system, leaving the patient susceptible to infections and tumours.
Scientists say this new approach using immune cells, called regulatory T cells (Tregs), from the body could eliminate ...
Yoga improves quality of life in women with breast cancer undergoing radiation therapy
2011-05-19
HOUSTON — For women with breast cancer undergoing radiation therapy, yoga offers unique benefits beyond fighting fatigue, according to new research from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.
While simple stretching exercises improved fatigue, patients who participated in yoga that incorporated yogic breathing, postures, meditation and relaxation techniques into their treatment plan experienced improved physical functioning, better general health and lower cortisol (stress hormone) levels. They also were better able to find meaning in their cancer experience. ...
Accurate Mammograms With Breast Implants
2011-05-19
Breast implants may obstruct some mammogram imaging, but this does not mean breast implants render mammograms ineffective as a means of screening for breast cancer.
Breast augmentation surgery remained the most popular cosmetic surgery procedure in 2010, with 296,000 procedures performed last year alone, according the annual statistics report from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. With that number continuing an upward trend over the past decade, more mammogram technicians and radiologists have experience conducting and reading the results of mammograms of women ...
Telling Your Children You Plan to Divorce
2011-05-19
If you and your spouse have decided to split, you know that there are many practical considerations that must be dealt with. You need to work out living arrangements, ensure that bills are paid on time and divvy up household expenses. If you are a parent, however, the most important thing you have to do is break the news of the divorce to your children in a way that is both informative and compassionate.
Oftentimes, parents forget that they are not the only ones suffering; they either don't want to see that their decisions are hurting their children or they just get ...
Artificial tissue promotes skin growth in wounds
2011-05-19
ITHACA, N.Y. - Victims of third-degree burns and other traumatic injuries endure pain, disfigurement, invasive surgeries and a long time waiting for skin to grow back. Improved tissue grafts designed by Cornell scientists that promote vascular growth could hasten healing, encourage healthy skin to invade the wounded area and reduce the need for surgeries.
These so-called dermal templates were engineered in the lab of Abraham Stroock, associate professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering at Cornell and member of the Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science, ...
Hospitals misleading patients about benefits of robotic surgery, study suggests
2011-05-19
An estimated four in 10 hospital websites in the United States publicize the use of robotic surgery, with the lion's share touting its clinical superiority despite a lack of scientific evidence that robotic surgery is any better than conventional operations, a new Johns Hopkins study finds.
The promotional materials, researchers report online in the Journal for Healthcare Quality, overestimate the benefits of surgical robots, largely ignore the risks and are strongly influenced by the product's manufacturer.
"The public regards a hospital's official website as an authoritative ...
Gambling problem exposed as access grows
2011-05-19
A new paper by University of Calgary psychologist Dr. David Hodgins says the proliferation of gambling opportunities around the world, particularly online, is increasing the visibility of gambling disorders and giving access to people who previously had no exposure to gambling opportunities.
Hodgins, head of the university's Addictive Behaviours Laboratory, says gambling disorders are often found in conjunction with other mental health and substance-abuse disorders. In an online version of the medical journal, The Lancet, Hodgins says the study of problem gambling is ...
Growing Numbers Of Young Patients In Nursing Homes
2011-05-19
The common view of a nursing home is a building full of old people, in walkers and wheelchairs, white hair and bingo games. A recent story from the Associated Press notes that there is a growing population of young (less than 65 years-old) people in nursing homes and long-term care facilities.
While those 30 and younger only number one percent of the nursing home population, the number of those younger than 65 have increased 22 percent in the last eight years.
A report from NPR notes that ages 31-65 now make up 14 percent of nursing home populations. This is up from ...
Species extinction rates have been overreported, new study claims
2011-05-19
The most widely used methods for calculating species extinction rates are "fundamentally flawed" and overestimate extinction rates by as much as 160 percent, life scientists report May 19 in the journal Nature.
However, while the problem of species extinction caused by habitat loss is not as dire as many conservationists and scientists had believed, the global extinction crisis is real, says Stephen Hubbell, a distinguished professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at UCLA and co-author of the Nature paper.
"The methods currently in use to estimate extinction ...
High pregnancy weight gain can lead to long-term obesity
2011-05-19
Gaining more than the recommended weight during pregnancy can put women at increased risk of becoming obese and developing related health problems, including high blood pressure, later in life.
These are the latest findings from researchers at the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC)/Children of the 90s at the University of Bristol.
Weight gain during pregnancy is necessary for the growth and development of the fetus but the study, which looked at the health of 3,877 women 16 years after they gave birth, found that those who gained more than the ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Chimps’ love for crystals could help us understand our own ancestors’ fascination with these stones
Vaginal estrogen therapy not linked to cancer recurrence in survivors of endometrial cancer
How estrogen helps protect women from high blood pressure
Breaking the efficiency barrier: Researchers propose multi-stage solar system to harness the full spectrum
A new name, a new beginning: Building a green energy future together
From algorithms to atoms: How artificial intelligence is accelerating the discovery of next-generation energy materials
Loneliness linked to fear of embarrassment: teen research
New MOH–NUS Fellowship launched to strengthen everyday ethics in Singapore’s healthcare sector
Sungkyunkwan University researchers develop next-generation transparent electrode without rare metal indium
What's going on inside quantum computers?: New method simplifies process tomography
This ancient plant-eater had a twisted jaw and sideways-facing teeth
Jackdaw chicks listen to adults to learn about predators
Toxic algal bloom has taken a heavy toll on mental health
Beyond silicon: SKKU team presents Indium Selenide roadmap for ultra-low-power AI and quantum computing
Sugar comforts newborn babies during painful procedures
Pollen exposure linked to poorer exam results taken at the end of secondary school
7 hours 18 mins may be optimal sleep length for avoiding type 2 diabetes precursor
Around 6 deaths a year linked to clubbing in the UK
Children’s development set back years by Covid lockdowns, study reveals
Four decades of data give unique insight into the Sun’s inner life
Urban trees can absorb more CO₂ than cars emit during summer
Fund for Science and Technology awards $15 million to Scripps Oceanography
New NIH grant advances Lupus protein research
New farm-scale biochar system could cut agricultural emissions by 75 percent while removing carbon from the atmosphere
From herbal waste to high performance clean water material: Turning traditional medicine residues into powerful biochar
New sulfur-iron biochar shows powerful ability to lock up arsenic and cadmium in contaminated soils
AI-driven chart review accurately identifies potential rare disease trial participants in new study
Paleontologist Stephen Chester and colleagues reveal new clues about early primate evolution
UF research finds a gentler way to treat aggressive gum disease
Strong alcohol policy could reduce cancer in Canada
[Press-News.org] Scared of the Dentist? Relax with Sedation DentistryDoes the mere thought of going to the dentist make you uneasy? Do you routinely put off important dental work because of an irrational fear about the entire process? You are not alone.