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Most people are less than eager to attend dental check-ups, especially if they have had bad experiences with dental teams in the past or associated dental care with discomfort.
Unfortunately, for the majority of people who are anxious about seeing a dental team, the most common reflex is to avoid attending the check-up altogether. This, while alleviating the anxiety temporarily, can and does cause dental issues to worsen, meaning that you are at a higher risk of discomfort the next time you attend a dental surgery.
Luckily, our team at UK Dental Specialists can help!
At UK Dental Specialists, we are always happy to meet with patients who have dental phobias or anxieties. Our dentist in St Albans will aim to help you manage your fears in a more lasting way, while also being able to offer conscious sedation in surgery to help you manage anxiety in the short term.
So, with that in mind, you may be wondering what conscious sedation is and how it can help with dental anxiety. Our dentist in St Albans explains below.
What is conscious sedation?
It seems like a contradiction in terms – conscious sedation.
However, when our dentist in St Albans talks about conscious sedation, they are talking about IV or intravenous sedation. This procedure was initially designed to help dental teams in surgeries perform extensive procedures, which could have caused stress in patients. It is used more regularly today to help patients who have dental anxiety to manage their concerns while in the dental chair.
So, instead, by administering IV sedation, our team is able to provide the top-notch care that you need without you having to feel any discomfort or strain your jaw.
How it is administered
Our team will administer IV sedation via a needle that is placed into the back of your arm via a drip. This will not be uncomfortable and will allow us the ability to control the dosage and determine when the drip-fed sedative needs to be stopped. This method is more controllable than oral-based sedatives and allows a higher degree of safety for our patients.
Side effects
Once the IV needle is inserted, you may feel dizzy and drowsy; this is normal and is an effect of the drug.
Once the IV needle is removed, you will likely have amnesia about the treatment that was performed. Thus, you will not be able to feel anxious about it. Please note that the most common side effects of IV sedation include drowsiness and fatigue, so for the next 24 hours, you are likely to feel very dizzy and mentally removed from the situations that you are in.
Aftercare
We always advise our patients who are about to undertake IV sedation to bring someone along to look after them afterwards. This could be a friend or family member who is old enough and responsible enough to do so. They should be able to drive you or escort you home afterwards and should be able to keep an eye on you for the next 24 hours. At this time, you should not drive and should refrain from using any other heavy machinery.