Everything You Should Know About Conscious Sedation Dentistry

Are you postponing your dental treatment because the procedures would be too painful? Do you have delicate gag reflex that makes going to the dentist office a nightmare? If so, then oral conscious sedation dentistry is the best option for you.

At state-of-the-art clinic Irresistible Smiles, convenient to residents of San Diego, sedation dentistry is given to provide you painless treatment. Sedation Dentistry in San Diego helps eliminate fearful patients’ anxieties about the dental procedure.

Conscious sedatives can be administered by using a pill (orally) or with a needle (intravenously). Delaying the treatment can make minor dental problems to become major dental issues requiring extensive intervention. As an additional advantage, sedation dentistry let patients combine multiple procedures into one or two visits, limiting inconvenience and saving time.

Conscious sedation dentistry is administered to depress the consciousness to a minimal level. In this, the patient retains the ability to respond appropriately to physical and verbal stimulation, but anxiety and pain are decreased. Most patients after conscious sedation dentistry is able to recall very little or sometimes nothing at all about their visit. There are many sedation methods; sedation dentists and dental team can help you decide the best one for you.

Benefits of sedation dentistry

•      Eliminates dental fears and anxiety.

•       Helps avoid postponing of dental care for years.

•       Getting multiple procedures done in a single visit.

•       Provide relief to people having sensitive teeth.

•       Good for those having difficulty in getting numb with traditional dental techniques.

Options of anesthesia

There are many sedation dentistry techniques that can be employed to put you at comfort during your appointment.

•     Local anesthesia:

These are administered prior to dental procedures to remove even the smallest amount of discomfort. The topical anesthetic sedates the area before an injection is given. There are two types of injections available, they are: block injection (to numb the entire area) and infiltration injection (to numb the localized area). Numbness may last from less than an hour to many hours before wearing off completely.

•      Oral conscious sedation:

In this, a small pill is used to create a state of forgetfulness and relaxation. The patient feels free from fears, and wakes with very little memory of the procedure. This method works excellent for surgeries, such as dental implant, wisdom teeth extraction and placement of denture. Patient’s blood pressure and oxygen saturation levels are carefully monitored before employing this sedative to ensure safety. Oral sedatives are not pain reliever, so an additional injection of local anesthetic is also required along with it.

•      Intravenous conscious sedation:

With this technique, sedatives are administered intravenously to provide deep relaxation and amnesia. Same as oral conscious sedation, the patient is free of nervousness, fails to sense time, and wake up with no memory of the treatment. Intravenous sedation (IV) dentistry uses benzodiazapam, which is also an excellent modality for surgical patients such as smile makeover. Patients are carefully supervised throughout the procedure. IV also does not provide relief from the pain, so a local anesthetic needs to be administered along with it.

•     Nitrous oxide anesthesia:

Nitrous oxide, also called as laughing gas is administered through a nasal mask to provide the sensation of joy and relaxation. This odorless gas takes about 3 minutes to attain a stress-free and relaxed state. With this technique, a patient feels complete awareness and can inform the dentist if he feels any pain. It can be administered along with local anesthetic to prevent any discomfort. It requires just few minutes to get eradicated from the patient’s system.

If you are one of those people who have put off their dental visit because of anxieties related to dental care, then sedation dentistry may be the only solution for you. Sedation Dentistry in San Diego is meant to make you relaxed while your sheeny whites get the care they deserve.