Sedation dentistry might be an easy answer for those dental chair fears. I wouldn’t say I’m afraid of the dentist, often times I quite enjoy a visit to the dental office. However, the other day after cracking my upper-rear molar, I went to the dentist to have it looked at.

For one reason or another, I started to feel anxious and a bit of a panic once the dental assistants started to reach back into my mouth. I figured I could tough it out, but my fear of swallowing some small piece of metal and gagging overcame me.

My dentist, Dr. Richard Bianco in Watsonville, recommended I try sedation dentistry. I was a little apprehensive at first, but after watching the video of the local news reporter having Dr. Bianco treat him, I was willing to try it. I did a few searches on the web when I got home for the drug that is used in sedating the patient - called Triazolam. The wikipedia entry is somewhat brief, but I didn’t find any major side effects.

The cost was around $250 for one visit. A bit pricey for two pills, especially if you have multiple visits in which you need to be sedated. However, avoiding the agony and anxiety of a root canal or molar crown, I think it was worth the extra expense.

My personal experience was rather pleasant, except for one glitch later that night. One hour before my appointment, I took the two Triazalom pills after fasting from caffeine for 24 hours, and food for 12 hours. Within 30 minutes I was getting pretty tired, and slightly dizzy.

Once I arrived at Dr. Bianco’s office, I remember checking in at 9:30am and sitting in the chair as they kept trying to get me to fall asleep. Another two doses of Valium did the trick. I do remember waking up in the middle of it, briefly - but I felt no pain, and was indifferent to what and where I was.

The next thing I knew it was waking up in my bed at about 6pm. I didn’t remember much, and felt no pain. Later on that night at about 12:30am I suddenly felt a rush of nausea and threw up for about 5 minutes. The feeling passed quickly, and that was the end of it.

The only drawbacks that I experienced were:

1. I was out of commission for the entire day
2. I felt nausea briefly later that night, and consequently threw up
3. The extra expense can add up quickly if you have multiple visits requiring sedation

In the end, I believe I will recommend dental sedation to friends and family (and all of you who read my blog) for major dental work. A quick cleaning I can handle, but a crown or root canal on a rear molar - might as well knock me out doc!