Sedation or Sleep Dentistry? That, my friend, is the question

Would you rather endure a painful toothache than go through a visit to your Adelaide dentist? You are not alone. Many people fear dental procedures. Even putting off dental treatments for 30 years to avoid any potential pain or discomfort. There are many reasons for this fear and anxiety and we want you to know it’s normal. Unfortunately, over time your untreated dental problems could put your overall general health at risk.

This is where Sleep Dentistry & Sedation shine. Both can definitely help you feel more relaxed during your Adelaide dentist visit. So how can you decide which of them is the right choice for you?

Sedation Dentistry

Sedation Dentistry can be anything form Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas) to take the edge of the fear or anxiety, to Oral Sedation (Diazepam, Temazepam etc) to relax the muscles and the mind for longer dental procedures. This is great for general restorative dentistry and maybe having a crown preparation or root canal treatment. This is also great if you are a severe gagger or become tense through dental procedures.

Sleep Dentistry

For more involved dental procedures, such as implant placement and oral surgery, Sleep Dentistry (Intravenous Sedation/Twilight Sedation – needle in the arm or General Anaesthesia – machine breathing for you) allows for you to have the treatment performed and then wake up having no memory of the procedure.

This is great for patients who have severe dental fear or anxiety and/or are having significant dental treatment performed over 2 – 4 hours. This sedation can be performed in Hospital and in some Dental clinics.

Becoming Brave

We have been very fortunate at Lidums Dental Adelaide to have a team who are keenly aware of the fears and anxieties patients can have. Whether it’s through a previous bad experience at the dentist as a child or an adult or whether it is because it has been a long time since visiting the dentist. Being able to support patients and help them to work through their anxieties and become more brave gives us a lot of joy.

We have had many patients that after having had treatment, with or without sedation, have said their confidence in returning for regular care and maintenance has increased and they now enjoy making the trip to the dentist.

When a patient visits the dentist, one of the most important things is to ensure their thoughts and feelings around their dental fear and anxiety are not unusual, and in fact quite normal. Acknowledging the experience and having empathy for them is a big deal. In a world where we feel awkward when people open up about their fears, at Lidums Dental, we embrace it. We want to hear all about it, if you are ready to share your experience, and then support you in becoming more brave for the future.

Taking the time to listen to what may have happened in the past can really help patients move forward in getting the care they need for their teeth. It takes time to build trust and the whole Dental Team must be involved in supporting the patient at every point throughout their dental visit. Seeing patients every 30 minutes for an ‘exam and hygiene’ does not allow for the ability to truly connect with patients who have fear or phobia. Providing longer consult times allows patients to work through their concerns and get off their chest what they need to say about their previous experiences and it can be very therapeutic and liberating. Once you feel heard and acknowledged for what you have experienced in the past, you can move forward in a more positive way and understand what is now happening in your mouth and what treatment can help restore any function or health lost over the years.

It’s no surprise that if someone has not been to the dentist for many years, that diagnosis and treatment can be more complex and at times more costly. That’s where a Dental Specialist and Sleep Sedation comes in. A Specialist can fully assess the mouth and provide diagnosis and treatment options that can restore what has been lost. Sleep Sedation provides a way to have dental treatment and have minimal or no post trauma from the experience.

At Lidums Dental Adelaide, we understand many Australians be suffer from dental phobia or anxiety. That is why we have incorporated various anxiety reduction methods to our Adelaide practice. We provide both Sleep Dentistry and Twilight Sedation Dentistry at our Adelaide Dental centre.

Get mastery over your fear and anxiety and get the dental treatment you deserve. Contact us today for more information!

Sedation or Sleep Dentistry? That, my friend, is the question