Sedation dentistry, especially oral sedation dentistry, is becoming increasingly more popular in the United States and Canada. You may have heard it called sleep dentistry, although not all forms of sedation mean you are sleeping. Below are some of the reasons that people are turning to sedation dentists with their teeth problems.

(1) The dental visit feels like it was a few minutes instead of a few hours. Most people don’t enjoy having their mouth pried open for long periods of time. With this form of dentistry, you may not even remember that you opened your mouth.

(2) Patients have less anxiety about complex dental surgeries and they can be done in fewer visits. A complex dental procedure could take several visits, but sedation may make it so the dentist can work longer and you can have the procedure done quicker.

(3) Patients need a little help to relax. Some people are just naturally scared of dentists. Visiting a sedation dentist helps people who would normally avoid the dentist, get to the dentist.

(4) Patients have a bad gag reflex. A gag reflex is the body’s way of preventing choking; however, some people’s gag reflexes seem to go crazy when they are visiting the dentist. Behavioral training is usually suggested for those who have bad reflexes. Some of the training includes breathing through your nose, lifting both of your legs, and humming. However, if this behavioral training is not helping your gag reflex, and you are avoiding the dentist because of it, then a sedation dentist may just be the answer for you.

Of course if you have a gag reflex, then oral sedation may not be your best option (most people with gag reflexes not only dread the dentist, but they have a very hard time swallowing pills). Other methods for dental sedation exist, including laughing gas, and Intravenous (IV) sedation. These methods should dramatically reduce your gag reflex and they will allow you to visit the dentist.

(5) Painful dental procedures. Some dental procedures can be excruciating. Although in many cases local numbing is recommended, procedures such as extraction of impacted wisdom teeth may be easier with a sedation dentist.

An impacted wisdom tooth is when the third molar fails to emerge into its proper position. This type of wisdom tooth can be much trickier/more painful to remove. Just imagine trying to remove four of these. The anxiety and pain caused by such situations lead many to seek out a sedation alternative.

If any of the previous reasons to visit a sedation dentist are familiar to you or someone you know, we recommend asking your dentist about sedation. It is a much better option than not visiting the dentist at all.