Sedation Dentistry- Numbing and Relaxing the Patient’s Nerves

Sedation dentistry, as the name suggests, refers to dental treatment under sedation. It quite resembles anesthetic operations. There is no such big difference between sedation in dentistry and an anesthetic injection. Sedation is performed in 3 degrees – deep sedation, moderate sedation and minimal sedation. It involves numbing the central nervous system so that dentistry can be performed easily. With minimal sedation the patient can respond to whatever is happening around him. In fact, minimal sedation reduces the anxiety in patients quite easily. In moderate sedation the nerves of the patient is even more relaxed and can partially respond to a stimulus. In deep sedation, the patient becomes unconscious and does not respond to any external stimuli. Sedation is normally practiced in the oral form and is administered depending on the anxiety level of the patient.

Dentists normally prescribe and administer a sedative to the patient one night before any kind of procedure or surgery is scheduled. The sedative primarily serves two major purposes. The first is to make sure that the patient is able to sleep properly through the night before the procedure. The second is to ensure that the sedation has worked its way into the patient’s system so as to complete relax him or her prior to the procedure. This particular approach of asking the patient to take a sedative the night before a surgery is known as the no-needle approach. The patient can take a prescription pill or the dentist can administer them sublingually. According to experts in the field, sublingual sedation dentistry is more effective as it reaches the bloodstream quickly.

Sedation dentistryis considered a safe method. Usually the medicines used for sedation dentistry are checked on the therapeutic index to protect the patients. The more the score on the measurement scale, the safer the drug is. Sometimes a patient, particularly under deep sedation does not remember the preceding events. Therefore, this kind of medication is also termed as ‘comfort dentistry’. Patients generally feel free of the usual anxiety and fear of dental procedures after taking these medicines.

Sedation dentistryneeds careful practice by dentists. A dentist must know which sedative works best for patients after considering the height, weight and degree of anxiety in a patient. The sedative drugs include Sonata, Ativan, Valium and at times laughing gas. The effect of the sedation stays awhile, depending on the degree of sedation performed.

The benefits of sedation dentistry include reducing the stress level in the patient. Sometimes dentistry procedures take a long time. During such prolonged operations sedation is a good alternative. Patients can overcome their fear during the procedure. Sedation dentistry has become a viable option to patients who are phobic to dental care routines or operations. It is without side effects and helps the patient to go through the dental procedure without fear and in the proper manner. In extreme cases of anxiety IV sedation is done. The patient can relax while his dentist can continue his work. After the patient regains consciousness, he can see a healthy inner mouth and smile. If you have moved and about to choose a new dentist make sure you check his credentials. He needs to be an expert of sedation dentistry before you agree to the process.