Oral Sedation Dentistry Tips

If you have a high level of dental anxiety, you may find it difficult to get to the dentist for routine treatment, and the thought of even the most routine cosmetic dental treatment, such as tooth whitening, may cause you fits and sweats. But you can overcome your anxiety and get the dental treatment you need and desire with sedation dentistry. But if you are considering sedation dentistry, you should know your options so you can pick a cosmetic dentist that offers the one best for you.

Oral Sedation

Oral sedation is the easiest form of sedation dentistry, and therefore the most commonly available. You will be given a pill, usually a prescription sleeping pill, that will help you relax during the procedure. You normally take the pill about an hour before you go to the office, so that by the time you arrive, full relaxation has set in. The advantages of this form of sedation are:

• It is relatively inexpensive

• You will be relaxed before you come to the dentist, reducing the likelihood that you will bug out at the last minute

Gaseous Sedation

Nitrous oxide (NO2, also known as “laughing gas”) is one of the oldest available methods of sedation dentistry. Nitrous oxide produces an alert, euphoric state accompanied by numbness. The advantages of gaseous sedation are:

• Sedation can start quickly and last as long as necessary

• Precise sedation, since your body processes nitrous oxide quickly

Anesthesiologist-controlled IV Sedation

In IV sedation, an anesthesiologist will intravenously administer a solution containing sedatives. The anesthesiologist will target a particular concentration of sedative, which must be reached before the procedure is begun. The advantages to this procedure are:

• The sedation can be quickly tailored to alterations in the patient’s state of consciousness

• Sedation can be continued as long as necessary for the procedure

Patient-controlled IV Sedation

In this variation of IV sedation, the patient is given the ability to increase his or her dose depending on his or her anxiety level. Although some think this may lead to an increased risk of overdose, studies have shown that this is not the case. There is no additional risk of complications in patient-controlled sedation as compared to anesthesiologist-controlled sedation. The advantages of patient-controlled sedation are:

• Actually uses less sedative than anesthesiologist-controlled sedation

• Gives patients control over their fears

• More popular among patients

For help overcoming your dental anxiety, there is no better option than sedation dentistry, as long as you choose the variety of sedation dentistry best suited to you.