Will My Dentist Use Sedation for a Filling?

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Sedation dentistry can be a confusing term for patients because they’re liable to equate it with anesthesia (whether general or local). Here, we’ll look at what counts as sedation dentistry and whether you can expect it if you have a cavity.

Sedation Dentistry Today

Sedation dentistry refers to any medications that help the patient relax when at the dentist. The media, especially comedies, loves to portray sedation dentistry as a joke. For instance, patients receive laughing gas in a chair and then act erratically. The reality is that, thanks to modern dosage guidelines and precision-controlled distribution, this kind of sedation dentistry is a thing of the past.

Today’s sedation dentistry offers patients an array of options to keep them calm, regardless of why they’re coming into the office. This is why this branch of dentistry can get confusing because not every dentist will be aware of what’s available on the market.

Is Sedation Available Everywhere?

No, not all types of sedation dentistry are available in every practice. For many people, this is perfectly acceptable. Patients may not need oral or IV sedatives to make it through routine procedures (e.g., fillings, exams, etc.). Instead, they’ll use sedation dentistry to make it through more complicated procedures, like a root canal.

Most dentists in Jacksonville will only recommend sedation dentistry for a filling in Jacksonville, FL to patients who are extremely nervous even to sit in the chair. If you’re cross-comparing different practices in your area, just be careful to be specific. Some staff may believe you’re asking about local anesthesia only, so it’s important to clarify what’s available and what you’re looking for.

At Mandarin Dentistry, we can help you narrow down your options, and if we can’t help you, we can refer you to a practice that can!

How to Tell If You’re Clenching Your Jaw at Night 

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When people get stressed out, they may start gnashing their teeth together when they’re asleep. In fact, during the last financial recession, many dentists around the US found that people were coming to them with new symptoms that signified they were clenching their teeth at night.

Of course, how would you know that you’re clenching your teeth if, by the time you wake up, your upper and lower jaw have unclenched? Here, we’ll look at signs that you’re doing it and what you can do to fix it.

How to Tell If You’re Clenching Your Jaw at Night

The most common symptoms of bruxism, or night grinding in Jacksonville, FL, are jaw pain, stiffness, and tooth sensitivity. The good news is that your teeth are pretty resilient, meaning you won’t wake up to crumbled bits of tooth in the morning.

The flipside for dentists in Jacksonville, FL is that it can take some time for grinding to make itself evident, especially if your pain and stiffness wear off soon after you wake up. By the time people have had their coffee, they’re likely to have forgotten about it altogether!

Why See a Dentist in Jacksonville

Night grinding can lead to flat or broken teeth if you don’t take care of it. Unless you have a partner who wakes up every night thanks to your repeated, endless grinding, you need to be extra vigilant about your symptoms.

If you’ve noticed you’ve had unexplained headaches or you feel tired even when you’ve had a full night’s rest, contact Mandarin Dentistry in Jacksonville, FL so we can spot the subtle signs you’re missing. Even if ongoing night grinding doesn’t result in lost teeth, it can result in anything from a misaligned bite to destroyed enamel.