Sedation dentistry can help you be more comfortable during your dental procedure. Sedation dentistry involves taking oral, IV, or gas sedation that allows you to relax, but that doesn't make you unconscious like general anesthesia does. Here are three reasons you may want to consider sedation dentistry if you need to have work done on your teeth, but you're putting it off because you find going to the dentist to be stressful.

1. You Have A Dental Phobia

If the idea of going to the dentist causes you a lot of anxiety because you have a fear of needles, you get triggered by the smells in a dentist's office, the sound of a drill causes fear, or you're afraid of pain, then sedation dentistry might help. By taking medication that relaxes you, you'll be more at peace and able to tolerate the smells, sounds, and feelings associated with being in a dentist's office and having work done on your teeth.

You'll be alert enough that you can respond to the dentist when aroused, but you might be relaxed enough that you are drowsy and half-asleep. In addition to the sedation, you'll receive anesthesia injections as you normally would. The injections ensure you won't have any pain, and the sedation ensures you won't have anxiety. This allows you to have dental work done and keep your teeth in good shape so they can last for years.

2. You Need A Long Procedure

It's challenging to sit in a dentist's chair for hours at a time. If you're a fidgety person or having to sit in the chair makes you feel trapped due to claustrophobia, having sedation can help you tolerate a long dental procedure much better. When you're half asleep, the time flies by, so you don't realize you're in the dental chair for a long time. This makes it possible to complete more procedures in a single visit so you can get the work done quicker.

3. You Have Sensitive Teeth

If you have pain during dental procedures even after you've had the injection to numb your tooth, you probably hate having fillings and other work done. Even teeth cleaning can be painful when you have sensitive teeth or multiple cavities. You might be less responsive to the anesthetic than most people. Or the anesthetic may work, but the air and water used in your mouth might hurt other sensitive teeth. In this case, sedation dentistry might help.

The sedation doesn't have a strong pain-relieving effect, but the relaxation you feel might be enough to help you undergo dental treatments with less pain. For instance, nitrous oxide might increase your pain threshold so you feel less pain even if the gas doesn't have a direct numbing effect.