If you have dental anxiety, you're not alone. Many people struggle with incessant anxiety, fear, or nervousness about the notion of visiting a dentist. Thankfully, there are ways to manage your anxiety so you can take care of your teeth. Typically, people can choose between taking an oral anti-anxiety prescription or getting dental sedative during your visit. Here's why dental sedation is the better choice.

Short-Term

Anti-anxiety medications are typically prescribed for longer-term use. Unfortunately, this means that your body is exposed to more drugs and more chemicals for a longer period of time. If you're interested in staying as healthy and drug-free as possible, it's a good idea to go with the shorter duration of treatment, which is dental sedation.

Dental sedation is only performed while you're in the office and is designed to wear off and leave your system quickly after. You don't need to worry about continuing to take medication following your treatment.

Ability to Drive

Many anti-anxiety drugs come with warnings against driving while taking the medication, especially if you've only recently begun to take it. Anti-anxiety drugs can make you feel dizzy or like you have vertigo, and in rare cases, it can even cause visual distortions. As a result, you may not feel safe driving or it may even be illegal for you to get behind the wheel.

Since dental sedation is only given once and only for the duration of your procedure, you can drive yourself easily to the dentist's office. In most cases, if adequate time is allowed following the procedure, you can also drive yourself home. Your dentist will be able to provide advice on exactly how long it takes for their patients to recover following dental care with sedation.

Fewer Side Effects

Anti-anxiety medications often have nasty side effects. In addition to the dizziness and vertigo that you could experience, there may be other problems too, like mood changes, excessive sleepiness, and so on. Anti-anxiety medications can potentially get in the way of your daily life, especially when you've only recently started to take them.

Dental sedation has almost no side effects with the exception of drowsiness after the procedure. That's what makes it such a good choice for people with dental anxiety.

Dental care doesn't have to make you feel afraid. If you think you need help with your dental anxiety, talk to a dentist about their sedation options. If you are concerned about dental anxiety, contact a business such as Summit Oral Surgery

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