Author: nearmedental
Sedation dentistry uses medications to make you more relaxed and comfortable when having dental treatment. It’s common for patients to feel some level of fear or stress while visiting the dentist office near me. Hence, it allows you to receive needed dental care without anxiety. This form of dentistry has been used for many years, and there are not any proven long-term effects of Sedative drugs. Sedation dentists at a dentist office near me are usually anesthesiologists (doctors specializing in medical care before, during, and after surgery).
Sedating medication can lower your blood pressure or slow your heart rate. But they do not cause any type of “narcotic” addiction to the patient. Let’s know more about the process.
When does a dentist office near me use sedatives?
Sedation dentistry is used when people cannot tolerate the discomfort of having dental treatment. A dentist uses sedatives in various procedures, from chronic tooth pain, relieving root canals, crowns, and bridges to drilling into the gums and even deep cleaning.
A sedative dentist or oral surgeon inoculates sedatives through an IV (intravenous) line into your body before beginning your procedure. He or she gives you medication in small amounts that are just enough to relieve anxiety without causing total loss of memory or awareness during dental procedures or tests.
Sedating medications can cause extreme sleepiness or even unconsciousness. They but don’t prevent you from communicating with the dentist if you need to. However, they can sometimes slow reaction time, so certain precautions are taken in dental testing procedures. Also, they are reversible, which means they wear off quickly once the local dentist stops giving sedatives.
Which sedative medications are available at a dentist office near me?
Sedative medications are available in many forms ranging from herbal remedies, like valerian root, prescription medications, including Valium (diazepam), Xanax (alprazolam), and Ativan (lorazepam) to over-the-counter remedies, such as antihistamines.
Besides, sedatives come in forms that help control anxiety and anger outbursts and reduce the need for pain medication after surgery. Sedative drugs usually get into effect within a few minutes and can last up to six hours, depending on an individual’s response to the medicine.
When are sedatives given at a dentist office near me?
Dentists usually recommend sedation for patients with disabilities that prevent them from coping with potentially painful treatments or when patients’ anxiety may interfere with the dental treatment. They act quickly, which means you can feel sleepy within 10 minutes of having the medicine.
These drugs also reduce your pain or anxiety during the dental procedure. Sedation dentists use the drug because it gives the patient a feeling of relaxation without disrupting normal body functions during dental procedures. Along with this, sedatives relieve muscle pain caused by some medicines given to control pain after surgery.
Risks of sedation dentistry
Even though sedative dentistry is a safe procedure, some risks are possible in certain medical conditions. In such cases, a sedative dentist office near me won’t recommend this procedure. The risks involved are as follows:
- Sedatives may slow your breathing and heart rate. Thus, sedation dentists use special equipment to monitor sedation levels carefully throughout the dental treatment.
- If you have asthma or certain other respiratory problems, you cannot receive any types of sedative drugs because they interfere with breathing. Instead, a dentist office near me uses anesthetics (gas) to sedate a patient.
- Sedation dentistry is also unsuitable for pregnant women because these drugs pass the placenta and may harm an unborn baby.
- Sedatives can make some people disoriented or drowsy. So, dentists stop the medication instantly if you become too sleepy or agitated during dental treatment.
- Sedating medications do not make you sleep completely. It means that patients can still feel some pain.
- Some sedating drugs may cause nausea, vomiting, headache, muscle stiffness, itching, weakness, and dry mouth after the effects of medications wear off.
- Since sedations relax muscles, they may lead to broken bones in the jaw if patients bite on equipment, such as needles, during dental work. So a patient and a dentist both have to be careful during the treatment.
Final words…
Sedation Dentistry has helped thousands of patients receive dental treatment without fear or anxiety. It allows them to relax and ease out monitoring for dentists throughout their procedures. However, a sedation dentist office near me takes several safety measures to monitor patients during dental treatments. Since there are a few risks of sedatives; hence, sedation dentistry is only ideal for adult patients who can cooperate with the process.
