It’s natural sometimes to feel nervous when we have to go to a doctor for a medical procedure. If you feel anxious or nervous about going to the dentist, you may fear the dentist or have an anxiety disorder. If this is the case, it doesn’t mean that you can’t get the oral healthcare you need to keep your teeth, tongue, and gums healthy; it just means you need a bit of extra care and concern when you go to the dentist. That’s when you need to head to your nearby dental clinic and ask us about sleep dentistry in Niagara Falls. Sleep dentistry is a specialization that focuses on using sedation to keep patients comfortable during treatment.

Most of the time, sleep dentistry is only used when a person is having some oral surgery or other major procedure done. Still, if a person suffers from anxiety or panic attacks when they go to the dentist, then there are other ways sleep dentistry can be used.

What is the Difference Between Sleep Dentistry and Sedation?

In truth, sleep dentistry and sedation are the same things. Sleep dentistry refers to using sedation to put patients to sleep during dental procedures and is mostly used under very strict circumstances.

Patients are typically only put under if they need to undergo surgery or a procedure that is too complex or painful for local anesthesia alone. In some cases laughing gas or other sedatives may be used, but if the patient is too nervous or anxious to go through with their treatment, the dentist may allow them to be put completely to sleep.

Before the dentist puts a patient to sleep for a routine dental procedure, they will first discuss with them their needs and the risk involved with being put under while undergoing treatment. Once the patient agrees, the dentist will move forward with putting the patient to sleep and performing whatever procedure they need.