If the thought of sitting in your dentist’s chair makes your heart begin racing, you are not alone. Dental fear and anxiety are actually very common. In fact, dental fear or anxiety is estimated to affect about 36 percent of the population.

Fortunately, sedation dentistry options allow you to have teeth worked on without all the fear and anxiety.

What to Expect with Oral Sedation

Oral sedation is a good option for people who feel nervous about experiencing pain, fear, or anxiety when having a dental procedure, or even a dental cleaning, performed.

With oral sedation, your dentist will prescribe an oral sedative, such as Halcion or Valium, for you to take before the procedure. Generally, the pill is taken about an hour before the procedure takes place, but your dentist will provide you with specific instructions.

The pill will make you feel groggy and tired, so you will need to have someone available to drive you to your appointment.

Most oral sedation patients will stay awake throughout the dental appointment and will be able to communicate with the dental staff and the dentist. However, it is possible to fall asleep while the procedure is being performed. This is not an issue, and the dental staff will usually gently wake you.

Either way, you shouldn’t remember much about the procedure afterward. Once your dental procedure is complete, you will need to have someone waiting to drive you home. You may still feel drowsy for several hours after taking the sedation pill, so you will be unable to drive yourself home after the appointment.

Once you arrive at home, you should rest and wait for the sedative to wear off completely. Your dental procedure will be complete, and you should have little to no memory of it. Overall, oral sedation provides you with a relaxed dental experience free of fear and anxiety.

If you avoid dental appointments and procedures due to nervousness, you should talk to your dentist about oral sedation dentistry to determine if it might be a good choice for you.

Oral sedation dentistry is sometimes recommended for long or complicated dental procedures, even for those who have no fear of the dentist. Additionally, oral sedation is preferable in many cases to other forms of sedation due to the ease of oral sedation. You can simply take the prescribed sedative and show up to your appointment.

At Fox View Dental in De Pere, WI, we can provide oral sedation dentistry to help you enjoy the most comfortable dental experience possible.