Sedation Dentistry

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What is Sedation Dentistry?

With sedation, the dentist administers a drug before or during the dental procedure. Only one type — general anesthesia — renders the patient completely unconscious. The other forms will relax you but will not knock you out completely.

The most common include the following:

Nitrous Oxide

A gas that relaxes you during the procedure. It wears off quickly, so your dentist might let you drive yourself home after the appointment.

Oral Sedatives

Oral sedatives, such as diazepam and midazolam, also help relax patients during dental procedures. You typically take them 30 minutes to an hour upon arrival to your appointment. You are fully awake but less anxious, and you might feel a little sleepy until it wears off.

Intravenous Sedatives

Intravenous, or IV Sedatives can put you in varying stages of consciousness. This is also known as General Anesthesia and, as mentioned above, will put you into a deep sleep until it wears off. Other IV drugs, however, can put you into a “twilight sleep.” You are less aware of your surroundings and you might feel sleepy. Typically, Intravenous and IV Sedatives are used for procedures you are anxious or stressing out about. You might not remember much of the procedure once it is over.

Some patients assume that general anesthesia offers the best solution. However, it also comes with more side effects than the other methods, so you might want to consider a lesser form of sedation dentistry. If your dental care provider mentions sleep dentistry, he or she likely means general anesthesia.

If you are worried about upcoming dental work, ask your dentist about dental sedation. If he or she practices it, you might feel better about getting into the chair, and you won’t have to worry about persistent dental issues that cause you pain and other problems.

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