Sedation Dentistry – A Boon or Bane?
Do you prefer excruciating toothache rather than visiting the dental clinic? Do the regular dental checks make you anxious, and you tend to avoid them? Are you incessantly postponing a dental procedure suggested by your dentist?
Fortunately, sedation dentistry can relieve your dental anxiety and fear.
Not attending your regular dental check up and cleaning can have an adverse effect on your oral health and hygiene. If you don’t maintain adequate oral hygiene, you may develop cavities, plaque accumulation, bacterial manifestations, gum bleeding, etc.
The level of sedation or sleep dentistry you require depends on your anxiety conditions and the complexity of your dental procedure.
Who Is Eligible For Sedation Dentistry?
- Anyone who requires to undergo a major or substantial amount of dental procedures
- Has an extreme pharyngeal reflex
- Anyone with delicate nerve endings or sensitive teeth
- Suffers from anxiety and fear during dental procedures or is afraid to even sit on on dentist’s chair
- Has extremely low pain tolerance
Can Sedation Dentistry Be Used For Children?
Sedation can be administered to children when they’re unable to cooperate or gets terrified during a dental procedure.
Nitrous Oxide is the choice of sedation for children due to its safety profile. A dentist is eligible for administering nitrous oxide.
In certain cases, oral sedation might be required and can be administered only by trained professionals in sedation dentistry.
For a safe dosage, the dentist will consider your child’s age and weight to determine the sedation level.
Levels Of Sedation Dentistry
Sedation Dentistry involves using various medications to induce sleep or sedation to relieve the fear and dental anxiety of the patient during the procedure.
While sedation generally implies that the patient is unconscious, there are also approaches wherein you’ll be fully awake during the procedure.
Sedation Dentistry involves various levels of anesthesia:
- Minimal sedation keeps you fully awake but relaxed
- With moderate sedation, you’ll remain drowsy and may not remember the details of the procedure.
- Deep Sedation is where you remain on the border of consciousness; however, you can be awakened
- General Anesthesia is where you’ll remain completely asleep and unconscious during the entire dental procedure.
Types Of Sedation Dentistry
IV Sedation
With IV sedation, the anesthetic agents are administered into your bloodstream through an intravenous route.
This sedation dentistry can only be performed by a trained dental anesthesiologist. The levels of sedation can be controlled by precisely adjusting the dosage.
Inhaled Minimum Sedation
Laughing gas (medically known as nitrous oxide) is a safe form of sedation dentistry for children and adults. You remain aware and awake during the procedure while staying relaxed.
If you have dental anxiety and need to undergo a simple procedure, your dentist may suggest nitrous oxide inhalation sedation to help you feel comfortable.
A mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide is administered through a face mask, placed over your mouth and nose. It’ll take a few moments for the sedation to show its effects.
However, unlike other forms of sedation dentistry, nitrous oxide wears off quickly post-procedure. This is the only mode of sedation where you can drive yourself back home after your dental visit.
Inhaled sedation dentistry can be recommended for every dental procedure, from simple teeth cleaning to root canals. However, if you’ve severe tooth sensitivity or intensive dental procedures, you may need other forms of sedation.
Oral Sedation
With oral dental sedation, you can stay relaxed and comfortable throughout the entire procedure with little or no anxiety. The aim is not to induce deep sleep. You’ll still maintain awareness while having a relaxing experience throughout the entire appointment.
Before prescribing the oral sedation, your dentist will take your medical history to rule out any complications. You’ll require someone to drive you home after the appointment is over.
