If you are someone who only visits the dentist when you cannot get away without one, or if you see your dentist regularly but still have high anxiety, sedation dentistry may be the ideal treatment for you. Sedation dentistry can be used for everything from invasive procedures to a simple tooth cleaning. Sedation dentistry uses medication to help patients relax during dental procedures. In fact, patients are usually awake, with the exception of those who are under general anesthesia. Regardless of which type of sedation you receive, you’ll also require a local anesthetic in the form of an injection. This would be administered once the patient is sedated, eliminating the fear aspect of the needle and/or procedure.
Inhaled Minimal Sedation (Laughing Gas)
Patients breath Nitrous Oxide, otherwise known as “laughing gas”, combined with oxygen through a mask that’s placed over the patients nose. The gas helps your relax, and brings you to a slight state of euphoria, helping you ease your mind off the procedure being done by your dentist. Your dentist can control the amount of sedation you receive, and the gas tends to wear off quickly, making it easy for patients to leave the office on their own and even drive after. Nitrous can be used for both adults and children. It is recommended that you do not eat 2-4 hours prior to the procedure as it may cause nausea and vomiting.
Oral Sedation
The patient takes a pill on the eve and another an hour prior to the procedure. Typically, the pill is a member of the same drug family as Valium. The pill will make you drowsy, although you’ll still be awake. A larger dose may be given to produce moderate sedation. This is the type of anesthesia most commonly associated with sedation dentistry. Some people may fall asleep during the procedure but may easily be awakened with a gentle shake. It is strongly recommended the patient has someone bring them to the appointment and drive them home as well, and they should not operate any heavy machinery for a 24 hours after the procedure.
IV Moderate Sedation
The sedative drug is injected in the vein working very quickly. This method allows the operator to continually adjust the level of sedation. At all times during this procedure, your dentist, an anesthesiologist and a nurse will be present to monitor you until everything is complete and you are waking up and recovering from the anesthesia.
Who can have Sedation Dentistry?
Sedation dentistry is appropriate for anyone who may have a dental phobia, or low pain tolerance, which is preventing them from going to the dentist. People who have a very bad gag reflex may also benefit from sedation dentistry. Sometimes children are given sedation if they are terrified of going to the dentist or refuse to cooperate during their visit. Sedation dentistry is a line of treatment which many dentists make use of, and allows the patient to finally get the dental treatment they need without having to go through what they may consider a “traumatic experience”.
At Eatonville Dental we offer Inhaled Minimal Sedation (Laughing Gas) and Oral Sedation.