Many people assume that every dental consultation is accompanied by intense pain and discomfort. In fact, this is one of the reasons some people fail to make it to their regular dental checkups. This is despite the fact that dentists have a variety of drugs and techniques for dealing with dental pain. Here are a few examples of such drugs and techniques:
Nitrous Oxide
Nitrous oxide, which is colloquially known as laughing gas, is a common treatment for deadening dental pain and lessening dental anxiety. The gas is delivered via a face mask that the dentist places on your face during the procedure. In some cases, it is used in addition to other techniques and drugs for managing dental pain. One of the best things about nitrous oxide is that its effects wear much faster than other pain-reduction drugs. This means you can even drive yourself home after your treatment if nitrous oxide was the only drug you had at the dentist.
Chemical Anesthesia
There are various forms of anesthetic drugs that dentist use for managing pain; here are some of the most common:
Topical Anesthesia
Topical anesthesia is applied directly to the site that the dentist wants to operate on; it only numbs the area on which it is applied. It may be used as a stand-alone drug in minor dental operations or it may be applied before the local anesthesia is injected for moderate operations.
Oral Sedation
If you are nervous and need something to help you calm down, then your dentist may suggest oral sedation. The sedation takes some time to take effect so it lengthens the consultation period.
General Anesthesia
General anesthesia puts you to sleep so that the dentist can operate on you without you feeling or knowing about it. It is reserved for extensive cases, such as whole mouth reconstruction, due to the relatively serious risks it carries, such as the impairment of the cardiovascular system.
Electronic Anesthesia
You don't have to take drugs to enjoy anesthetic dental work. Electronic anesthesia can do the same thing without the use of chemicals. Here are some of the common types of electronic anesthesia:
Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)
TENS work by delivering electronic impulses to the treatment area and numbs it. In this way, it acts as topical anesthesia but achieves the same effect by the use of electrical impulses and not chemicals.
Cranial Electrotherapy Stimulation (CES)
CES delivers electrical impulses not to the treatment area, but to the parts of the brain responsible for managing pain. It's useful for keeping dental patients calm and relaxed during their treatments.
For more information about dental anesthetic techniques, contact offices like Professional Dental Center.
