Do you fear the thought of visiting your dentist every six months? Well, anesthesia may be the best option for you then. In case of the process of sedation dentistry, dentists use a variety of anesthesia types.
For example, they use nitrous oxide, laughing gas, or simple anesthesia to help you relax during a dental surgery or any painful session. The best part is that dentist appointments are now fearless affairs irrespective of the intensity of your dental problem.
The dentists are trained in techniques of anti-anxiety and sedation, and they use it almost for every session. The level of anesthesia will no doubt vary from one patient to another. It mainly depends on two things.
First is the type of treatment you opt for and secondly how much pain you can bear without freaking out. Therefore, wherever you go for a cure now, sedation dentistry will help you with a painless and phobia-free session.
As you visit the dentist and he wants to sedate you, he will make sure of specific health and mental conditions. It means that you must be fit and stable, minus any severe psychological or physical conditions. In some cases, you may also require clearance from another general physician to go through the process of safe sedation.
You may be suffering from any respiratory, cardiac issues, diabetes, and hypertension. In such cases, it is a must to go through a test to make sure if you are suitable for sedation or not. The dentist may ask for medical clearance or your previous health record before he proceeds with his treatment.
Types of dental sedation
Check out the most common ways that dentists prefer when they have to put you through the process of sedation dentistry.
- Laughing gas
Also called nitrous oxide, laughing gas is probably the most common form of sedation that a dentist prefers. It is that form of anesthesia that can also be used when a woman is giving birth. Another term used for it is inhalation analgesia.
According to the NIH or National Institute of Health, nitrous oxide does not make you fall completely asleep. It keeps you conscious and still alleviates the pain. Nitrous oxide sedation is also capable of reducing anxiety in a patient, especially during a dental affair. It is safe, and most of the dentists prefer it.
Local anesthesia injections are used in combination with a dose of nitrous oxide in majority cases. They are painless and extremely effective. The staff can further administer the gas flow by a machine that will help to alleviate the uncomfortable feeling of the injection.
- Enteral sedation
The next type of sedation joining the list is the enteral sedation in the form of a liquid or a pill. You must consume this form of sedation orally. Here also, local anesthesia is combined with laughing gas or nitrous oxide for the best results. Therefore, you do not entirely fall asleep. However, you are anxiety-free and do not feel sick from the fear of a dental procedure.
- IV sedation
IV or intravenous sedation is another form of anti-anxiety anesthesia, and in this case, the fluid is directly injected into your veins. Such a procedure is helpful because the doctor can provide a deeper form of anesthesia to the patient that is also strong enough.
Again, you will be awake but irresponsive and almost not aware of the whole dental procedure. The IV sedation is mostly used in extreme cases of phobia and anxiety.
The intravenous sedation process is so effective that the dizziness and unconscious state remains active even after the procedure is over. It takes quite some time to fade away completely after you are released from the dentist’s office.
- General anesthesia
Now we come down to the most effective type of anesthesia that doctor’s term as general anesthesia. The significant difference between this type of sedation in comparison to the others is that the patient falls wholly asleep and unconscious with general anesthesia.
Two different procedures are combined into one here. From one side, an anesthetic fluid is injected directly into the veins. On the other hand, the patient has to inhale an anesthesia gas for the ultimate effect.
The patient has not signed a release till the time he is not out of the drugged zone. It takes a couple of hours minimum for the patient to gain conscious before he can go home.
Final thoughts
Most of the dentists are indeed qualified and permitted to administer or work with chemicals like nitrous oxide and others. However, it is better to verify whether the dentist you have chosen possesses a sedation license. Therefore, it is always better to do thorough research and then opt for a physician. It is not a good idea to choose a random dentists office to save a little money because your health is more important.