Dental anxiety is one of the main reasons why people don’t get the dental care they need or the cosmetic dentistry procedures they desire. Sedation dentistry works great for helping people overcome their anxiety, but it relies on drugs that can have side effects and may be dangerous for some people. Now, though, a new discovery promises to help us improve drug-free sedation dentistry so that we can put people into a relaxed state completely without medications.
Necessary and Sufficient to Produce Deep Sleep
Researchers at the Harvard School of Medicine and the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, announced the discovery of a new circuit in the brainstem that controls how we fall into deep sleep. The circuit contains a certain type of neuron (brain cell) that produces the neurotransmitter gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) that guides the body into deep sleep.
Researchers found that by turning this brain region on and off using a specially engineered virus that targeted just the type of cell they wanted to turn on. By turning these neurons on and off, researchers were able to put animals into sleep or wake them up.
Researchers said, “We are at a truly transformative point in neuroscience where the use of designer genes gives us unprecedented ability to control the brain.” They hope to be able to use this new control to create powerful sedative that don’t have the same negative consequences as modern drugs.
The Future Is Today
Although it’s possible that this new discovery will lead to exciting advances in sedation dentistry and anesthesia, we are happy to announce that we already offer drug-free sedation dentistry. Nu-Calm uses a combination of relaxation techniques designed by a neurologist–including taking an all-natural GABA supplement–we are able to produce relaxation without the need for drugs that can cause risks.
If you would like to learn more about Nu-Calm drug-free sedation in Savannah, please call (912) 234-8282 for an appointment at Beyond Exceptional Dentistry.
