What is Sedation Dentistry?
Sedation dentistry enables people experiencing dental anxiety to obtain dental care in a relaxing and anxiety-free manner. This is used to avoid uneasiness whenever a visit to the dental office is needed. Sedation industry keeps the patient awake through the entire dental care process.
People tend to avoid getting dental care because of dental anxiety. A professional dental organization called DOCS Education (Dental Organization for Conscious Sedation) aims to ensure safe, comfortable, and anxiety-free dental care is provided to patients. They also stated that thirty percent of the population has dental phobia. This compromises the health of their teeth, as they are not getting the regular dental care they need. In many cases, extreme dental procedures are required when dental health is routinely neglected.
What is Sedation and is it Safe?
Sedation involves the use of sedatives so patients will be more relaxed and calm during dental procedures. There are different ways to administer sedative drugs such as tranquilizers, depressants, anti-anxiety medications, and nitrous-oxide. First is intravenous (IV) sedation wherein sedatives are injected into the blood vessels of the hand or arm. An alternative is inhalation of nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas. Lastly, the most popular technique used in the United States and Canada is oral sedation. In oral sedation, the prescribed drug keeps the patient awake through the treatment while providing them a comfortable experience.
Sedation is different from local anesthetic. Even if some forms of sedation better the experience of pain felt by a patient, local anesthetic is still required for most dental treatments. Local anesthetic is still injected into the mouth after the sedation has already been administered.
After a patient is comfortable and sedated, that is the time that local anesthetic is injected. Anesthetic will block pain from the affected teeth and gum tissue temporarily. Since the patient is sedated, they will most likely no longer remember getting the injection or feeling injection sensation.
What are the Benefits of Sedation?
Some dental treatments and procedure take hours to complete. Sedation makes the patient feel like the procedure is completed in a shorter amount of time. Complex dental procedures, which usually require a couple of visits, can be completed in a smaller number of appointments. Sedation is also a solution for dental anxiety which prevents some people from going to the dentist regularly. Receiving routine dental care helps people avoid dental complications and future extensive dental treatments.
What are the Side-Effects of Dental Sedation?
An amnestic effect is caused by oral sedation. Though this is a known side-effect, many patients think that this is an advantage because they will not have to remember the procedure. The oral sedation drugs can also cause dry mouth, headaches, dizziness and nausea in rare occasions. These side effects can not be reversed in enough time for a patient to go home alone. Regardless of the type of sedation a patient receives, it is advisable that a patient is accompanied by a responsible caregiver when a dental procedure is administered.
