Dental Sedation Options – There Are Multiple of It
We often choose what is sometimes called sleep dentistry if people are anxious about pain or about the dentist in particular. What makes sleep dentistry possible is the different styles of dental sedation, although not all dental sedation requires actual sleep, but some do. Find out the options, and negotiate the correct dental sedation for your next operation with your oral surgery specialists of Oklahoma.
Dental sedation requires a variety of techniques that are either used to relax a patient before and during a dental procedure or to make patients more relaxed during lengthy procedures. You probably know what is laughing gas, which is taken by many people before dental processes like having root canals. Dental sedation, however, is a more varied and complex area than just laughing gas, with plenty of choices for patients who experience discomfort or even fear while thinking about going to the office of the dentist.
Dental sedation is not part of your dentist’s pain management. Numbing agents and shots are protecting this portion of the operation. But, if you’re scared to get a shot in your gums, dental sedation will calm you down to a point where you can handle the shot. You may not even remember receiving the treatment with certain forms of sedation, even though you are awake for it.
Sedation Types
During surgery, some patients require limited sedation, while others may want to be completely unconscious.
This may be due to the type of surgery or dental discomfort being done, but whatever the case, there is a choice for sedation that is suitable to the needs of each person.
Oral sedation – Oral sedation is given orally through a pill. Depending on the dose given, sedation rates may be mild to moderate. It can take up to an hour for oral sedatives to feel the full effects. Patients who receive a low dose frequently feel relaxed and probably tired, but tend to remain awake. A higher dose may have mild sedative effects resulting in some patients falling asleep but being urged to wake up quickly.
Inhaled sedation – A mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide, better known as laughing gas, is inhaled sedation. For inhaled sedation, through a mask worn during treatment, the gas sedative is breathed in through the nose. Adjusting the amount of nitrous oxide given through the mask can change the sedation level.
IV sedation – IV sedation has a few variations: the first is what is known as twilight, where you are aware of your surroundings, but not very aware of them. Twilight IV sedation makes you feel tired, so after it’s over, you may not recall any of the treatment. You’re not asleep though, and it’s possible if the dentist needs to wake you up.
The other choice is general anaesthesia, which in sleep dentistry is relatively uncommon. Often patients needing major oral surgery, and immune to other forms of sedation, may need general anaesthesia. You are totally unconscious with general anaesthesia. In a hospital or specialist clinic with either or an anaesthesiologist looking after the sedative and monitoring the vital signs, this form of sedation needs to occur.
Contact Dr. Wooten, your oral surgery specialists of Oklahoma, at Oral and Facial Surgery of Oklahoma for a painless dental process.
**Disclaimer: The information on this page is not intended to be a doctor’s advice, nor does it create any form of patient-doctor relationship.
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on Dec 15th, 2019
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