More than 30% of Americans avoid the dentist like the plague, most likely as a result of a painful and traumatic dental experience early in life. Unfortunately, this fear of the dentist has put many people at risk of serious oral hygiene
 problems that could be easily prevented by routine dental treatments.

In order to ensure that a fear of the dentist does not prevent people from receiving necessary dental care, many dentistry practices have started offering sedation dentistry to their patients.

What is Sedation Dentistry?

Sedation dentistry is a process used to put dental patients in a more relaxed state during their dental treatment. This is can be accomplished using one of the following techniques:

• Oral sedatives
• Nitrous oxide gas
• Intravenous (IV) sedation

The most common form of sedation used by most sedation dentists is conscious oral sedation. In oral sedation dentistry, you take a pill before your dental treatment that will place you in a relaxed and calm state. You will still be conscious and can communicate with your sedation dentist throughout the entire process. However, you will experience far less anxiety during your procedure.
Some sedation dentists prefer to use nitrous oxide gas with their patients. With this method, you inhale a prescribed amount of nitrous oxide gas before your treatment. The gas has the effect of putting you at ease while your dentist administers your necessary treatment. IV sedation is probably the least common method used by sedation dentists.
It is important to have someone accompany you to your appointment, since you will most likely be unable to drive home after your procedure.

Sedation Dentistry vs. Anesthesia

It is important to understand that sedation techniques are not intended to reduce the pain experienced in your treatment. They are only used to help you relax so that you feel comfortable enough to receive all necessary dental care. For certain procedures that may cause pain, your sedation dentist may choose to administer anesthesia as well.

Benefits of Sedation Dentistry

Sedation dentistry offers patients the following benefits:

• You generally feel like your procedure only lasted a few minutes, even if it took a few hours
• Patients who were formerly too anxious to sit in the dentist’s chair can now receive the necessary procedures to preserve oral health
• Longer, more involved procedures can often be completed in fewer visits to the dentist
• By increasing the number of patients who receive regular preventative dental treatment, sedation dentistry reduces the need for major procedures resulting from neglected oral health

Is Sedation Dentistry Covered by Insurance?  While most insurance companies will not cover sedation dentistry, it is still important to check with your insurance provider before the procedure. There are some instances where insurance will cover your procedure. Most sedation dentists offer various forms of financing options, so even if your insurance will not cover your procedure, you may still be able to afford your treatment.