There are a number of reasons you may not want to be awake during a dental procedure. You might suffer from severe dental anxiety or perhaps the procedure just takes too long for you to remain comfortable for the duration. Whatever your reason, you do have options that can make your dental visit easier. Sleep dentistry and sedation dentistry are often used to help patients relax. Each has its advantages and drawbacks. With sleep dentistry, a dentist in Philadelphia visit will use what is commonly known as “laughing gas” to put patients to sleep prior to a procedure. Not all patients are good candidates for this method. It will depend on medications you may be taking, allergies your might have, and previous experience with anesthetics. Some people find it difficult to wake up after being administered nitrous oxide. Sedation dentistry focuses more on simply relaxing you rather than putting you to sleep. This can help patients for different reasons.

You may need to hold your mouth open for a long time but have a jaw disorder like TMJ that prevents you from doing so comfortably. Sedation can relax your jaw muscles enough so do not experience discomfort. Sedation can be administered several ways including inhaling nitrous oxide, swallowing sedation pills, or using an IV. Sleep dentistry is more suitable for patients who have very low pain thresholds and must have dental procedures done that will be painful. Patients who find it difficult to sit in one position for a long time might also want to consider this approach. Depending on the particular dental procedure to be performed, your dental professional may recommend you go to sleep because of possible pain or discomfort. A common reason that a dentist in Philadelphia might recommend sedation is because of noise associated with a procedure. It can be rather unsettling to hear the electronic noises of dental drills and other equipment. Sedation can help you relax so you can tolerate the noises without physically reacting to them. If patients jerk or make sudden moves in response to hearing noises, it is possible for a dental professional to accidently injure them.

Sensitive procedures may be more successful if patients are sedated. You can learn more about these methods by talking to a dentist in Philadelphia. Many dental professionals use both methods so they can help you decide which one is best for your particular situation. You will need to be prepared to discuss why you are looking into sleep or sedation dentistry. Do not be surprised if alternatives are recommended. Dental professionals prefer to sedate patients only as a last resort. They need to have experience with putting patients to sleep or sedating them. Not all dental professionals are approved to use these methods so do your homework before making an appointment. A good dental professional will know how to make you as comfortable as possible during your visit!