Which Form of Dental Sedation is Best?

When you’re nervous about going to the dentist for cleanings or other dental care, you might be tempted to skip these appointments. However, this can lead to serious dental problems that could affect your health overall. Sedation dentistry offers a way for patients to feel more comfortable and relaxed during dental appointments, but which type is best? Here’s what you need to know about the different forms of dental sedation in Mesa.

Laughing Gas

Laughing has, also known as nitrous oxide, is a common dental sedation. This type of sedation doesn’t make patients unconscious or semi-conscious. Although patients are conscious with laughing gas, this sedation helps them feel more at ease and calmer overall. Patients wear an apparatus over their nose and inhale the gas, which generally takes a short amount of time to work.

The use of laughing gas is generally safe for most patients. In some cases, laughing gas is the only sedation patients need. Those who still feel anxious might also need another type of sedation, such as oral sedation, along with laughing gas. Patients who use laughing gas only are usually safe to driver after leaving the dentist’s office.

Oral or Enteral Sedation

Oral sedation involves the use of a prescription sedative, which patients take before seeing the dentist. The amount needed differs for each patient. Some patients take a sedative the night before their appointment or an hour before. If you undergo oral sedation, you’ll need to follow your dentist’s instructions. Patients remain conscious, but they also feel more relaxed. Some patients don’t end remembering what happened during their dental visit.

Oral sedation is considered safe for many people. However, patients may need to have their vital signs, such as heart rate, monitored while during this form of sedation. It’s common to feel sleepy after having oral sedation, so patients need to have someone else drive them home.

IV Sedation

IV sedation, or intravenous sedation, involves having medication placed directly into a vein. This medication helps ease anxiety and leaves patients feeling sleepy but not fully unconscious. This method offers a deeper sedation than laughing gas or oral sedation. Patients with IV sedation usually aren’t completely aware of what is going on, but they’re still awake or mostly awake.

IV sedation is safe for most patients, but dentists check medical history and other potential health problems, such as high blood pressure to make sure. Patients with certain medical conditions will not be considered good candidates for IV sedation. If you do have IV sedation, you’ll need to stay at the office for a little while to recover. Plan on having someone else drive you home after your appointment. You should also have someone stay with you for at least 16 hours afterwards while the sedative clears your system.

General Anesthesia

General anesthesia is the least common type of dental sedation. It is generally offered for patients having complex dental work done, such as having multiple wisdom teeth removed. This option might also be considered if patients aren’t able to have other types of sedation done.

General anesthesia carries certain risks, since patients are fully unconscious. With this type of sedation, patients typically have to be in a hospital or clinic that has an anesthesiologist on hand to administer general anesthesia and watch their vital signs until they are conscious again.

Which Type of Sedation Is Best for You?

The best type of dental sedation for you depends on different factors,. This includes your level of anxiety, the type of dental work being done and whether you have any medical conditions, such as heart problems. Your dentist will go over these factors and help you determine which type of dental sedation is best for your situation. What works best varies from one patient to the next.

Conclusion

If you’re looking for a dentist in Mesa that offers sedation dentistry, Dental Brothers can help you find the best option for your needs and medical history. Whether you’re dealing with dental fears and anxieties or need to have major work done, we can help you.