Feeling stressed about an upcoming dental procedure? As many as 20% of dental patients of all ages experience a fear of the dentist’s office. Severe dental anxiety can make it hard to receive the oral healthcare your smile needs to look and feel its best.
Modern advances in dentistry want to ensure patients remain comfortable at a dentist’s office. So they offer a few types of dental sedation through an IV.
The process is completely safe and administered by highly trained professionals. But you may feel more at ease when you know more about how IV dental sedation works. Read responses from your dentist to common questions about dental sedation to relieve stress related to this treatment.
How Does IV Dental Sedation Work?
Sedation is a medication that affects the body’s nervous system. It slows brain activity to create a relaxing feeling that relieves anxiety. The dentist and patient can choose from minimal, moderate, and deep sedation, depending on their stress or comfort levels.
Minimal sedation induces a calm feeling without affecting the patient’s consciousness in any way. Moderate sedation will impact a patient’s awareness somewhat, but they can still respond to a dentist. Deep sedation puts the patient to sleep so that they do not stay aware of their surroundings during dental work.
Dentists give patients sedation intravenously, and the effects of the medicine will be felt right away. Once the dentist removes the IV drip, the effects will start to fade. The patient may remain groggy for a little while as the medicine wears off on its own.
When Can I Use Dental Sedation?
If you feel nervous about dental work, you can ask your dentist about dental sedation options for any type of procedure. Dentists will often provide patients with sedation for more complicated treatments like dental crowns or implants.
This medication can make people feel less stressed in the dentist’s chair. This can result in a more positive and smoother process at the dentist’s office. It can also help patients avoid certain discomforts like gagging during the procedure.
Dentists have greater control of IV sedation compared to an oral sedative. This is because they can adjust the amount of medicine through the IV as needed during dental work. Patients who take an oral tablet must wait for the medicine to wear off of its own accord.
Are There Side Effects from Dental Sedation?
Some dental patients might feel slightly disoriented as the sedation fades at the end of their treatment. The effect might last for a few hours, so the patient should arrange for someone to give them a lift home from the dentist’s office.
Other than that, a dental patient should not feel side effects from sedation treatment. The dentist will look at your medical history to ensure the sedation is safe for you prior to administering it.
Some health issues might make you ineligible for dental sedation for your own safety. Those who are pregnant or have heart conditions or allergies might need to talk to their dentist about other ways to address dental fear.