Painless Dentistry
Many people avoid going to the dentist from the fear of pain they might have to endure during treatment. Dentistry has made significant progress in increasing the comfort of patients. However, there are still methods that can cause pain and discomfort for patients. These include tooth extraction, root canal and few periodontal and orthodontic treatments.
The good news is that at Chats Dental, a visit to a dentist does not involve pain anymore. We use several strategies to alleviate pain and offer painless dentistry.
What Is Painless Dentistry?
Painless dentistry is often referred to as sedation or sleep dentistry. This is because the method uses a mild and safe form of sedation to calm the patient before performing any dental procedures. The process helps in relieving the anxiety of the patient as well as numbing the area where the procedure is performed.
The sedationist sedates the person so that the sedation wears off only a while after the procedure is finished.
Types of Painless Dentistry
Generally painless dentistry has four different levels of sedation:
- Minimal: The patient is awake but does not feel the procedure
- Moderate: The patient is awake but not aware of the procedure
- Deep: The patient is awake with minimal consciousness
- General Anaesthesia: The patient is completely unconscious
Methods In Painless Dentistry
A sedationist or a dentist can use different methods of sedation in painless dentistry. The most used forms are:
- Inhalation Sedation (Relative Anaesthesia): This is generally used for minor procedures in which ‘happy’ gas is used. The patient is asked to inhale nitrous oxide. Happy gas sedation allows the patient to leave the dentist’s office immediately after the procedure alone and resume their normal life.
- Intravenous Conscious Sleep (IV Sedation): An effective sedation method. The patient is given a drug intravenously rather than an oral one. The drug allows the patient to be wide-awake but they will not remember the procedure. During the intravenous sedation, the patient is hooked up to a monitor that measures the blood pressure, heart rate and breathing. We recommend that the patient bring someone with them who can take them home after this form of sedation.
- Intramuscular Sleep: In this procedure, the dentist injects the sedative drug to the patient’s muscle, either in the upper arm or thigh. This technique is not commonly used. With this sedation method the patient should have an escort for returning home after leaving the dentist’ office.
- General Anaesthesia: Only a trained and certified anaesthetist can administer this technique. The anaesthetist is required to monitor the patient while the dentist is performing the dental procedure. The method offers complete sleep to the patient.
Painless dentistry offers the perfect solution for patients who are anxious about oral procedures. Painless dentistry allows patients to visit the dentist for regular check-ups without anxiety and phobia. This helps the patients to maintain their overall oral health and hygiene while avoiding any emergencies like fainting and anxiety attacks while at a dentist’s office.
Contact us at Chats Dental now to know more about Painless Dentistry, and we assure you that your next check-up and treatment will be painless and anxiety-free.