A lot of people fear dental treatments and the whole idea of sitting in that uncomfortable chair with mouth wide open. If you are one of them, sedation dentistry might be the right choice. For the uninitiated, sedation dentistry is about using different anesthetic agents to relax a patient, especially before a complicated surgery or treatment.
The use of anesthetic and sedative products in dentistry is not uncommon, but dentists don’t usually prefer such options as the first choice. A good dentist will always take the necessary steps to calm the patient, and if nothing works, sedative dentistry is probably the only choice. After all, you cannot avoid seeing a dentist or seeking dental care.
Should you consider sedative dentistry?
To be fair, your dentist is the best person to take a call on this, because he will consider a number of important factors, including your physical and mental health. If the patient suffers from conditions related to the heart or chronic conditions such as diabetes, additional clearance might be needed from the primary health care physician. If you have a phobia about the treatment, it is always better to take an appointment with your dentist, so as to discuss the possible options better.
How does sedation dentistry work?
Your dentist can use different anesthetic and sedation options. Some of these include –
- Laughing Gas. Also known as nitrous oxide or inhalation analgesia, laughing gas is mostly used for sedation dentistry. While it doesn’t work like general anesthesia, which means that the patient won’t be sleeping during the procedure, but it certainly reduces the anxiety and stress levels. Most dental clinics have laughing gas for treatments, and depending on the procedure, local anesthesia can be used, as well.
- General anesthesia. For certain procedures and treatments, general anesthesia is required. You will be completely asleep during the process. In some cases, gaseous anesthesia is also required with injections.
- Enteral Sedation. This kind of sedation is about pills. Your dentist will give a pill, which will keep you awake but not as anxious as usual. In some cases, Enteral Sedation is used along with laughing gas.
IV Sedation is another way of reducing anxiety during a dental appointment. In this case, the sedative is injected into the vein. While you will still remain in your senses, you won’t be aware of the treatment. In case of general anesthesia, patients may need to wait for a while before they can go home, which is why doctors often consider IV Sedation that doesn’t require long recovery hours. You can read this article to know more on different options used by dentists.
Sedation dentistry has been in use for a while, and your dentist can share more details related to the options available or useful for your case. Unless the patient is in extreme pain or cannot handle the procedure, general anesthesia is not preferred. Laughing gas and enteral sedation are commonly used for most cases. Check online to find a dental clinic near you!
