Sedation dentistry is something many adults really appreciate, but for children it can be a very scary thing. A pediatric sedation dentist may be the appropriate dentist for some children but not for all. Using sedation dentistry for children is appropriate in the following situations:

    When you have an infant with dental care needs
    When you have a child who needs very extensive dental work
    If your child has a very strong gag reflex
    If your child has had a past traumatic experience at the dentist, and does not want to sit still for dental work because of it
    Mentally handicapped children that can't grasp the concept of, or won't, hold still for dental work

Granted, there are going to be many younger patients in the dental care office that are cooperative and manageable without the need for sedation dentistry. But, this is not the case for all children. In fact, there are a significant number of children who cannot tolerate dental care without the use of sedation during these dentistry techniques. If your child is on the edge, sedation may be a good option as it helps ensure the child will be still, and that all dental procedures that are started will be completed and correctly, as the dentist will not have to fight the child to get them to hold still.

A sedation dentist will generally administer local anesthetics such as nitrous oxide to children. This is an option which is extremely safe, and represents the ideal means of making the dental care treatment completely pain free. Most children respond poorly to pain, so sedation is a great way to ensure that they get through the entire dental procedure without a melt down.

Using sedation dentistry for children should not be something you should worry about. While it can be scary, it is reassuring to know that pediatric sedation is a dental specialty that requires two to three more years of training beyond dental school, including practice experience in a hospital environment. Any dentist that has license to practice pediatric sedation dentistry has earned that right through experience, and schooling. Also, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) has very strict guidelines for the use of conscious sedation, deep sedation, and general anesthesia in pediatric dental patients, which get updated frequently, and can help ensure that all precautions are taken. Your dentist will follow a procedure that was designed to ensure no complications with the sedation.

Also, anyone who practices sedation dentistry for children has the opportunity to attend a yearly continuing education course on pediatric sedation to update their knowledge and skills. So, even if your dentist has been practicing for years, it will not mean that their knowledge is outdated.

If you are still concerned about whether or not you should use sedation dentistry for your child, you may want to look for a pediatric sedation dentist that belongs to the AAPD, and that has a lot of experience with this specialty. You can always ask for referrals etc. to help ease your mind.

Millions of people use mouthwash each day, and so one would hope that mouthwash really does help to care for your teeth, other wise it could be cut from the morning routine.

Mouthwash is a great way to freshen breath, even though you just brushed, sometimes you have odor causing bacteria, and mouthwash is said to fight these, but who knows, maybe it is simply masking the smell. That brings us to the heart of the question, ads tout mouthwash as a great way to rinse away oral health problems, but does using mouthwash really help to care for your teeth?

Experts say the answer depends. The answer really lies in what kind of mouthwash you use.

Is there a big difference in mouthwash varieties? Yes! Believe it or not you can basically narrow mouthwash down to two categories:
1.    Cosmetic mouthwash
2.    Therapeutic mouthwash.

Each type of mouthwash has its own benefits:

Cosmetic mouthwashes:
These mouthwashes are really only intended to mask bad breath and remove debris from your teeth and gums. However, the same debris could be removed by swishing water around in your mouth, in most cases.

There are also some cosmetic mouthwashes that contain whiteners to help whiten the teeth. So, while white teeth are nice, and may encourage you to take better care of your teeth because of the improved appearance, this type of mouthwash is purely cosmetic and does not provide added protection against tooth decay. So to answer the question, "Does using mouthwash really help to care for your teeth?" In this case the answer would be no.

Therapeutic mouthwashes:
These mouthwashes are formulated to help prevent or treat an oral health problem. These are stronger mouthwashes, and most are not recommended for children as they may swallow the mouthwash.

The formulation may include several different things to help keep your teeth and gums healthy. For example, anti-plaque mouth rinses, or mouthwash, are designed to treat and prevent excessive buildup of dental plaque. However, anti-gingivitis rinses are intended to help prevent gum disease by killing bacteria that cause it. Fluoride rinses also formulated to help strengthen teeth and protect them from decay.

There are some therapeutic mouthwashes that double as cosmetic mouthwashes as well as they also freshen breath and can have other added benefits.

Most experts believe that the effectiveness of mouthwash use in boosting oral health is contingent upon how well you follow other proper oral hygiene as well as what rinse you use. Many studies have shown that whether or not mouthwash helps you care for your teeth depends on what you want cared for. For example, some fluoride ones will reduce your cavities, but some made for fighting plaque are really no more effective than rinsing with water. It really depends. So, ask your dentist what they recommend, and what brands of mouthwash they suggest. The ADA does not specifically advocate using mouthwash as part of its suggested routine for maintaining good oral hygiene. However, many strongly believe that mouthwash makes a big difference in the care of their teeth.

There are a number of reasons to choose sedation dentistry. Some include:

1. If you are a high fear patient. Fear of going to the dentist is common, and truthfully, the fear is usually a fear of pain more than anything else. However, this fear can be debilitating to a dentist, if you are constantly jerking away in fear, or not wanting to open your mouth, etc. the procedure will be difficult and take a long time. So, if you fit into the category of high fear, consider sedation dentistry.

2. If you have a medical condition. Some medical conditions make it necessary for sedation to be used. For example, if you are handicapped, or suffer from mental retardation, you may be unable to grasp the concepts your dentist needs you to understand when undergoing a dental procedure. By using sedation dentistry, the dentist can open your mouth for you, etc.

3. If you have a phobia of dental treatment: phobias of dental treatment could be something simple like disliking the sound of a drill, or an outright fear of a dental office. Sedation means you can there, but you can sleep through the process, and not let your phobias control you.

4. If you are elderly. Sedation dentistry is a great idea if you are older, talk to your dentist about how it can best benefit you.

5. If you hate pain. When you are sedated, you don't feel any pain, so you can visit the dentist and have the procedure be pain free.

6. If you are a child. Many children struggle to sit still, and have low pain thresholds. So, if your child fits into this category, sedation dentistry may be for them. Try and find a pediatric sedation dentist, as they specialize in children sedation dentistry.

7. If you have anxiety about your dental work. Anxiety can cause all sorts of problems, so eliminate your anxiety by being sedated, you won't feel anything, you will be comfortable and relaxed.

There are also a number of choices for how you want to be sedated. Some include:

1.    Using an inhalation anesthesia.
2.    Using an oral conscious sedation.
3.    Using general anesthesia.
4.    Using intravenous (IV) sedation.

So, now that we know why you might want to consider sedation, and the methods in which sedation are administered, let's take a closer look at sedation dentistry in general:

Conscious sedation dentistry, also known as sleep dentistry and anxiety free dental care is the perfect option for anyone who may not particularly like visiting the dentist. When you arrive for your appointment you'll be seated in a dental chair, given a form of sedation, and before any work is done, you go numb. In most cases you are awake, but drowsy. However, and most importantly, you'll be relaxed, anxiety free and pain free. Sedation during a dentistry procedure makes it possible to be totally relaxed during your treatment. This means that getting a root canal, no longer a problem.

If you are at all worried about complications, relax. While you're in the chair, the sedation dentist and dentistry team monitors you closely. They have to undergo schooling, training, and certification to be able to sedate you. So, the probability of complication is minimal.

Besides being pain free, one advantage to sedation dentistry is that often the dentist will be able to get more work done at the appointment because you are so relaxed, and not fighting him or her.

Fear of the dentist has a long history and originally, way back, there was some physical cause for it. But dentistry has come a long way, and we’re fortunate to live in a time when dentists can and do address this fear. Perhaps you feel afraid of needles, maybe you have an extra-sensitive gag reflex, maybe just lying back in the dentist chair already instills anxiety in you. Maybe even just the idea of sitting in a dental chair brings on the fear. The fear can be on the level of anxiety, or it can be so severe as to be a phobia. A phobia would put you into a state of panic or terror, prevent you from sleeping the night before your appointment, (or several nights), and perhaps cause vomiting.

Sedation dentistry and sleep dentistry are often used interchangeably, but there is a difference:
· In sedation dentistry (also called conscious sedation dentistry), you’re in a drowsy, relaxed state, and conscious of where you are and what’s happening
· In sleep dentistry, you’re asleep and not aware of what’s happening

Ways of Administering Sedatives
Before beginning on any dental work, your dentist will discuss the options with you and listen to your concerns. There are several ways the relaxing medication can be administered, and your dentist will explain the pros and cons of each method:
· Orally – about an hour before your appointment time. You will have already seen your dentist, been given the prescription, and had it filled.
o Have someone drive you to the dentist’s office, and home again afterwards, because this medication will last for about 6 hours. By the time you arrive, you’ll be feeling drowsy and quite free of anxiety. The dentist will use a local anesthetic to eliminate pain.
· Inhalation – a mask is placed over your face while the dentist works, and you breathe in the gas, usually nitrous oxide (laughing gas), which relaxes you. A local anesthetic is also used.
· Intravenously – this is done after you arrive at the dentist’s office. It’s less frequently done, but is completely safe and in fact the drug is more effective when given this way, as opposed to orally
· With this option, you’ll also be monitored for blood pressure, heart rate, and breathing. This keeps you safe. A local anesthetic will be used to block pain.
· Intra-muscular – the medication is injected into muscle of the upper arm or thigh. This is less commonly used for adults, but is frequent in pediatric dentistry. Again, a local anesthetic is also used.
o You’ll feel drowsy and calm.

Whichever way the sedating medication is administered, the dentist’s chair will feel comfortable and you’ll feel calm and safe in the reclining position. You’ll be so relaxed that your cosmetic dentist can perform several dental procedures in one visit, thus reducing the number of visits required to complete all the work.

Sleep Dentistry
This is a term for dentistry done while you’re under general anesthesia. It’s not often done, as the sedation options take care of most people’s anxiety. When it’s done, a trained and certified professional will monitor you while the dentist works on your teeth. To do this type of dentistry, the dentist must have completed at least 2 years of specialized training and be certified by a dental board

Four Levels of Sedation
The above methods of eliminating anxiety provide a choice of 4 levels of unconsciousness:
· Anxiolysis – this is the lightest sedation. Nitrous Oxide is the most popular way of inducing this state. · Conscious sedation – this is a moderate level, created either by Nitrous Oxide or IV sedation, where you’re awake and able to respond to requests from the dentist or his nurse.
· Deep sedation – in this level you’re halfway between consciousness and unconsciousness, and may or may not be able to respond to requests. At this level, you’re being monitored, as described under intravenously above.
· General anesthesia – this is total unconsciousness, where you’ll be given breathing assistance and closely monitored.

Who is a Candidate for Sedation Dentistry?
Anyone could be a candidate for it, if they find that their fear is preventing them from obtaining dental care. Besides fear, there are some other scenarios that call for sedation dentistry:
· For young children, who have trouble sitting still for very long.
· For someone who has trouble controlling their movements, such as with cerebral palsy or Parkinson’s disease.

So there’s no need any more to allow fear or anxiety to deteriorate our teeth. We can now choose to have sedation dentistry, or even outright sleep dentistry. We can call a sedation dentist to schedule all the appointments we need, and can finally have all the dental work done that we’ve been postponing.

For almost 30 to 40 million people in the United States alone just about nothing can match the fear of the dental surgery. For many of us that terrifying experience, first encountered as youngsters, stays with us for the rest of our lives and a trip to the surgery is something we only contemplate when the worst of tooth ache leaves us with no other alternative.

There are a large number of reasons for staying away from the dental office including a fear of the dentist's drill, a dislike of the smell of the dental surgery, memories of a bad dental experience, an immunity to standard dental painkilling injections, and difficulty in sitting still or controlling your movements to name only a few.

Today, however, the coming of sedation dentists allows us to enjoy the dental treatment that we need without those fears and anxiety.

Sedation dentists do not knock patients out totally, but put them into a very relaxed state so that they don't feel any pain from the work being undertaken and, by and large, do not even remember the work being carried out.

There are several different choices available to the patient including:

Intravenous sedation - In this case the patient is given an injection, rather than a pill. As is the case with oral sedation this method doesn't provide pain relief, so a local anaesthetic injection will also be given.

General anaesthesia - In this case the patient is given an injection to render them unconscious. As the patient is unconscious, a local anaesthetic is not needed for the relief of pain.

Nitrous oxide - Nitrous oxide gas (also named laughing gas) is used to induce a relaxed state. A local anaesthetic will be administered alongside nitrous oxide to ensure a pain-free procedure.

Oral sedation - The patient takes a tablet around an hour before their appointment. Oral sedation is designed to relax the patient but without producing pain relief, so an injection of local anaesthetic will also be employed.

Sedation can be used for quick and simple procedures with sedation lasting up to an hour, or for more elaborated multiple treatments, where sedation may last for as long as perhaps six hours.

The arrival of sedation dentists is possibly one of the biggest improvements to dental care in recent years and enables dentists to perform treatment on patients who wouldn't otherwise think about having treatment.

individuals who avoid dental work because of fear and anxiety do not need to worry any more as sedation dentists have made this vital element of our health care system accessible to all.