Regular dental appointments can be difficult for many people due to reasons like anxiety, phobias, difficulty sitting still, certain health conditions, or even especially long treatment times. Luckily, sedation dentistry includes a number of methods designed to safely reduce a patient’s sensitivity to pain and induce a sense of calm so they can enjoy a pleasant and effective oral health treatment. Here’s a guide to two of the most popular forms of dental sedation and how they work.
Nitrous Oxide Sedation Is Safe for Almost Everybody
Nitrous oxide, also called laughing gas, has been used to safely make oral healthcare easier and more enjoyable for almost two centuries. While this treatment is usually associated with fillings, it can also be used to help patients sit comfortably through virtually any sort of dental treatment. The gas will be fed to your nose through a mask attached to a hose, and its pain-blocking effect will kick in quickly. The drug will be eliminated from the body within minutes after the treatment ends, and it has no known long-term side effects.
Patients receiving nitrous oxide can expect to be able to drive themselves home or back to work, which makes it a great sedation solution for people with busy schedules, and its lack of side effects makes it safe for virtually everyone. However, the treatment may not be suitable for those with stuffy noses since they may not be able to inhale enough of it to achieve its desired effects.
Oral Conscious Sedation Can Be Great for More Intensive Procedures
For oral conscious sedation, your dentist will prescribe you a sedative pill to be taken briefly before your appointment. You should begin feeling its effects by the time your treatment begins, and these will include lightheadedness and deeper state of relaxation than is possible with nitrous oxide. You’ll remain awake through the procedure and be able to respond to questions and instructions, but you may not remember the experience clearly afterward.
Since the effects of oral conscious sedation take hours to wear off, you will need a trusted individual to drive you home and keep an eye on you while you are still sedated. While many patients can receive this treatment safely, it is typically recommended for those who have severe dental phobias, strong gag reflexes, extensive treatment sessions that will take a long time, or difficulty sitting comfortably in the dentist’s chair.
Don’t let dental phobia keep you from receiving the care you need to keep your smile in great shape. The only way to know for sure which sedation treatments you qualify for is to schedule a consultation with your dentist.
About the Practice
Dental Center of Lakewood offers exemplary oral health services to the community of Dallas. Led by Drs. Travis Spillman and Jacquelyn Green, the staff treats each patient with courtesy and respect in a welcoming office environment. Areas of expertise include general, restorative, cosmetic, and emergency dentistry as well as sedation services. To book your consultation for sedation dentistry, contact the office online or dial (214) 823-5253.