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.

For more information on sedation dentists visit Sedation Dentists and Dentistry today.