For dental patients who need to correct crooked teeth or fix gaps in their smile, Invisalign In West Point, GA braces are a big upgrade from the old silver-colored, metal braces and painful rubber bands of the past. Invisalign are named because instead of the old metal-mouth appearance, they are nearly invisible. They are made of a transparent material so other people will usually not even notice the braces. Nothing is glued to the teeth, and there are no wires.
Most adults who are fitted with Invisalign braces wear them from 20 to 22 hours a day for 9 to 15 months. While the old braces made it difficult to brush and floss, the patient can completely remove these any time to thoroughly clean their teeth. Patients no longer have to avoid biting into raw apples or carrots for fear of bending the wires; the appliances can be taken out for meals, so you don’t have to say goodbye to certain crunchy foods, and the braces won’t get stained.
For patients who are nervous and even afraid of the dentist chair, Sedation Dentistry offers them several options to be placed into a relaxed state, while being fully monitored for their safety. The patient may be partially awake but simply very relaxed, feeling no fear, and able to get their procedure taken care of. It’s important to communicate your fears to the dentist so that the care team can address your individual needs.
The dentist doesn’t want any patient to be so full of anxiety over dental procedures that they don’t come in to get the care they need. While some patients are fine with a local anesthetic, others need sedation to help calm their nerves and get them relaxed. One sedation option is nitrous oxide, which is better known as laughing gas. While the patient may not remember much of the procedure, the patient will be alert enough afterwards to be able to drive home themselves. Another option is I.V. anesthesia, administered by an anesthesiologist. The patient will be completely unaware during the procedure, and will need to arrange for someone to drive them home while the anesthetic wears off.
