What Is Sedation Dentistry?
In sedation dentistry, we use medication to help patients relax during the dental care procedure, often putting them to sleep in cases where we might otherwise not need to. This can also be known as sleep dentistry, however patients are more often than not awake. Of course, sometimes the use of general anesthesia is considered, in extreme cases where the fear is great or the procedure particularly difficult.
There are numerous levels of sedation that we use: minimal, where you are awake but relaxed; moderate, where your words may slur and you probably won’t remember much of the operation; deep sedation, in which you are on the edge of consciousness but can be roused if necessary; and general anesthesia where you are completely unconscious.
What Are The Benefits?
For most people, the dentist’s chair is not their favorite place. But if you are someone who has a particularly high level of fear and alarm when it comes to being at the dentist’s, then sedation dentistry can be a way of helping you to relax so that we can work on your mouth easily and without disturbing you. Often, for many people, sedation dentistry is the only way that they can countenance the idea of having work carried out. It can be used for a wide range of dental procedures, so it is always worth asking us just to be sure if it is a possibility in your case.
The Process
There are many types of sedation used in sedation dentistry. You might be given inhaled minimal sedation, where you breathe in nitrous oxide and oxygen in a mask, which helps you relax and which the dentist can control easily. With this, you can often be good enough to drive yourself home afterwards.
Or you might have oral sedation, which could mean taking a pill of either lesser or greater strength, depending on what level of sedation is required. Then there is IV moderate sedation, where you receive the drug through a vein. Finally, there is the general anesthesia method, where you are given medication that makes you unconscious. In every case, we are careful to make sure you are properly sedated, and we provide top of the range aftercare too.
If you are nervous about seeing us, ask us about sedation dentistry next time you come in. We might be able to help.
