BY: Dr. Roy Daniels
Activities that Americans dread include job interviews, cleaning the house, public speaking, preparing taxes and going to the dentist. Fear of dentistry is a pervasive phenomenon that causes people to skip appointments and results in a deterioration of dental health. For anxious patients, dentists are able to prescribe a variety of drugs -- from nitrous oxide (laughing gas), to sedatives such as Valium, to general anesthesia administered by an IV. The safety of any of these methods depends on your health and the knowledge and training of your dentist and his staff.
?Conscious sedation? involves breathing in laughing gas or taking an anti-anxiety drug such as Xanax or Valium an hour or so before your appointment. The goal: you are awake but less anxious and more cooperative.
Conscious sedation is often preferable to IV sedation for several reasons: It?s easy to administer, it?s more economical, there?s a decreased likelihood of adverse reactions, and children (and adults!) accept a small pill or a nitrous oxide mask more readily than a needle in their arm.
So if you?re fearful of the dentist, should you consider conscious sedation?
Absolutely! If you?re generally healthy and your dentist has carefully reviewed your medical history, you may be a good candidate to be sedated to ease the stress of your next dental appointment. Contraindications include a history of narrow angle glaucoma, severe asthma or pregnancy. Some patients with heart disease should also avoid oral sedation.
Remember that with the exception of laughing gas, you won?t be able to drive home after your appointment. In fact, you?re required to have someone with you for the remainder of the day, and you should not return to work, operate heavy machinery or make major financial decisions.
Source: http://www.oralcareandhealthdaily.com/blog/laughing_gas/index.html
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