Sedation Dentistry

Sedation Dentistry in San Jose, CA

There's so much dentistry can do these days to make your mouth healthier and your smile more beautiful. Yet many people don't take advantage of this because of a long-standing fear of dental treatment. If you are one of these people, rest assured that it's possible to have an experience that's free of anxiety and pain. This can be accomplished by blocking your sensations of pain with local anesthetics or by giving you medication that can help you relax. Sometimes both are needed to ensure maximum comfort, especially if you are someone for whom the injections that deliver local anesthetics are themselves a major source of anxiety.

When you are afraid of dental treatment, your guard goes up and your pain threshold goes down; anticipating that something will hurt makes you hypersensitive to every sensation — even sound. If this describes your experience in the dental chair, then you might benefit from sedatives that can be given during your visit to make that anxiety melt away.

Before any particular sedative is recommended, you will be asked to provide your complete health history, including any medications you are currently taking — both prescription and over-the-counter. It is also important to know if you smoke or drink. On the day of your treatment, you may need to have someone drive you to and from your appointment as certain medications take time to wear off.

IV Sedation — Sedatives delivered directly into the bloodstream intravenously (into the vein) are more potent than when taken orally, and the amnesic effects may be more profound. Because IV sedation has an almost immediate effect on the body and its functions — including heart rate, blood pressure and breathing — there is a higher degree of risk associated with it than with other types of sedatives. There is also a higher level of training required for those who administer it. At Sikka Dental, we use a medical doctor anesthesiologist (we use this doctor for both in office and hospital dentistry). As with all sedation (except nitrous oxide), you must be monitored with specialized equipment throughout your IV sedation treatment. The main advantage is that drugs administered this way work immediately and the level of sedation can be adjusted more quickly and easily. And with most sedatives, you won't remember a thing about your dental procedure after the sedative wears off.

Who Can Benefit from Sedation Dentistry & General Anesthesia Services?

Autism or Other Special Needs Our sedation dentistry practices are a solution for patients with physical or mental challenges, and for individuals emotionally uncomfortable in the traditional dental office setting. Dental anesthesia services can provide a way to accomplish complete dental care in a more pleasant experience. Cancer Patients dealing with cancer have enough to worry about without the added stress of dental care. Treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy often call for dental care that not all dentists are willing or qualified to perform. When you need a dentist who understands the complexities of cancer treatment, you can turn to Dr. Sikka and staff.

Fear and Anxiety Sedation dentistry is a great alternative for those who suffer from fear, anxiety and phobias stemming from dental appointments. According to American Dental Association surveys, more than 10% of Americans are so highly nervous and anxious about dental treatment that they totally avoid the dentist! Another 20% find treatment so uncomfortable that they are unable to follow through with treatment. In fact, nearly half of the people with dental insurance still avoid dental care because of their fears and anxiety. With sedation dentistry, modern, safe general anesthesia techniques allow the fearful patient to have dental procedures done without the anxiety.

Low Pain Threshold Many people perceive pain differently than others , or at a much smaller stimulus. Sometimes a dentist may have difficulty in obtaining the tooth "numbness" necessary to perform painless treatment. There are many different reasons for inadequate numbness with local anesthesia, but with general anesthesia and sedation dentistry techniques, these patients will have their own personal perception of pain altered and will be virtually pain free during the dental treatment.

Active Gag Reflexes Some patients will gag before the smallest X-ray film is even placed in their mouth , or before they have a simple impression taken. Using sedation, services even for the simplest dental procedures can eliminate the problems caused by gagging. Extensive Treatment Sedation dentistry is great for sophisticated procedures for full mouth rehabilitation. Patients having extended procedures such as periodontal surgery and root canal therapy are more comfortable when these dental procedures are done with our anesthesia services.

For more information about sedation dentistry in San Jose, CA, call Sikka Dental at (408) 259-1280 today!

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