What is Sedation Dentistry?

There are people who cringe when they think about going to dentist even for the teeth cleaning. Some people even think about canceling the appointment altogether due to this anxiety. Although, the fear from a dentist is a real thing that happens to a lot of people, canceling the appointment is something that shouldn’t be done no matter what. Maintaining good health is more important, so getting over this fear is something that you should do if you feel anxious. Good news that there are some very reliable ways to get rid of the fear of the dentist. The most considerable one is sedation dentistry. During sedation, you wouldn’t feel pain of the dental treatment procedure.

How does it work?

Sedation dentistry is the procedure during which dentist uses medication to help the patient relax during treatment. With that said, there are some the types of sedation dentistry you can consider.

• First is the Minimal sedation. During this sedation, the patient is usually awake but remains in relaxed state.
• Moderate sedation is the second type. This procedure may slur the speed and your memory may become clouded. So, you might not remember much about the procedure after waking up.
• Deep sedation is the third type. During this procedure, the patient usually remains on the edge of the consciousness but it’s more like sleeping.
• The last one is General Anesthesia which is used to push the patient into total unconsciousness.

There are different ways through which the sedation can be administered.

1. Inhalation Sedation
   This procedure mainly involves inhalation of nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas. This gas doesn’t have any color or smell. The main characteristic for which it is used is that it reduces pain and brings relaxation. Sometimes, the patients may start giggling while inhaling it. This is the reason it is called laughing gas. When this gas is administered, it usually takes no more than 20 seconds to reach the brain and 2–3 minutes to deliver relaxation to the patient.
2. Oral sedation
   This sedation is administered with the help of pills and liquids. These medicines are commonly referred to as Benzos or Benzodiazepines. These medicines work by reducing activity in the part of brain that is responsible to raise fear and anxiety. So, when the medicine is taken, the patient becomes calmer after a few minutes.
3. Intravenous (IV) Sedation
   This sedation is administered by injecting medicine into the blood stream. This sedation usually does something more than just bringing relaxation. When the medicine is administered, the patient may become partial or full unconscious for the time until the effects of it wear off. So, you may have partial or full memory loss under the effects of this sedation. When the effects go away, you may feel like you have been asleep.

Is it safe?

When we talk about any kid of medication, we cannot rule out the risks. As for the sedation dentistry, it is usually always the safe option given that there are experienced people administering it. To know about the risks specifically, you can talk with your dentist.