What is sedation dentistry

Sometimes patients who have sensitive nerves or small mouths need sedation, simply because procedures cause more pain and discomfort in these patients. Other patients need sedation to overcome anxieties and fears associated with the dentist or with medical procedures.

Dental sedation is a common way people conquer anxiety or pain during visits to the dentist. Find a Dentist member who provides sedation dentistry to learn more. Skip to content. British Columbia Ontario. What Is Dental Sedation? Types of Sedation Dentistry Laughing Gas Nitrous oxide, more commonly known as laughing gas, is used to relax patients during dental procedures.

Do I Need Sedation Dentistry? Share this The levels of sedation used include: Minimal sedation — the patient is awake, but relaxed. Deep sedation — the patient is on the edge of consciousness but can still be awakened. General anesthesia — the patient is completely unconscious. How do I know if I am a candidate for sedation?

What are the types of dental sedation? It is very safe and provided in most dental offices. Local injections of anesthesia, which are still used in combination with nitrous oxide, now see consistent effectiveness, and some are practically painless.

Nonetheless, the gas can be administered by a machine to further reduce the discomfort of the injection. Enteral Sedation: The next type of sedation comes in the form of a pill or liquid that you take orally. This is called enteral sedation. Like local anesthetics, oftentimes it is used in combination with nitrous oxide. You may still be awake, but not nervous about the dental work. IV Sedation: Intravenous IV sedation is another common method of anti-anxiety wherein the sedative is directly injected to a vein.

However, as with any medical procedure patients with some existing medical conditions add a risk of complications. Your dentist will carefully review your medical history with you to make sure it is safe for you to be sedated. You should also talk to your dentist about any concerns you may have before being sedated.

It is not uncommon to experience some side effects with sedation until it wears off completely. With most sedation types you will usually feel relaxed but then drowsy afterward. You will often have little memory of the procedure, you may feel sluggish or be less coordinated and have slower reflexes. People sometimes have low blood pressure after being sedated and occasionally feel a bit sick or have a slight headache. These side effects usually wear off in a few hours.

You should rest after a sedation appointment and not return to work, drive a vehicle, or operate machinery. If you have concerns with any of the side effects of sedation we suggest talking to your dentist. Sedation involves using a sedative agent to place you into a calm, restful state. You will remain conscious while sedated and able to respond to voice prompts.

Many patients have no recollection of their treatment once the sedative agent has worn off completely. My practice:. Find A Practice Find your nearest practice Use your current location. Treatments Dental Services. Cosmetic Dental Services. A variety of techniques are used in Sedation dentistry and they include the following: Minimal sedation — the patient is awake but cannot feel any pain and is fully relaxed.

Moderate sedation — the patient is slightly unconscious and can speak in an unclear tone, but will not remember much of the procedure. Deep sedation — the patient is in a state of sleep but not completely and can still be awakened.

General anesthesia — the patient is completely unconscious. If we talk about the types of sedation dentistry drugs, they can be divided into the following: Laughing gas — it provides one of the most interesting sedation dentistry experiences due to its itchy nature. It is also called nitrous oxide and the dentist gives it to patients in conscious state through an apparatus that is placed on the nose.

The effect of gas remains on patients until they breathe it in but as soon as they stop inhaling the gas, the influence just fades away. Patients usually keep laughing during the process Oral sedation — This type of sedation dentistry can be done with the help of a pill which needs to be taken the night before the dental procedure.

The sedation dentistry drug can be of minimal or moderate level. A small dose will make the patient drowsy while a large dose will make the patient fall asleep. IV moderate sedation — This sedation dentistry drug can be of two types.

One is called twilight through which you are conscious but have no idea of the surroundings. The second type is the general anesthesia through which you are totally unconscious. The sedation dentistry drug is given through a vein. Related Post. Read More. Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published.