Oral Sedation Dentistry Information

In my last post I spoke a little bit about the misuse of the term “sedation dentistry“. It is commonly misused when individuals are speaking about the process of sedation dentistry. Sedation dentistry is the practice of using various forms of sedatives to ease patients through their dental work. Examples of these sedatives are nitrous oxide (laughing gas), oral sedation administered whether in a suspension or tablet form, or for the more serious cases anesthesia may be required ( I had the pleasure of experiencing this method).

The intent of these procedures is to make it easier for the patient to endure their procedure. Many patients have a very real fear of the dentist, and short of these sedatives they are unable to convince themselves to undergo the needed dental procedure.

The three sedation methods mentioned earlier are administered using different means. Nitrous oxide is typically administered via an appliance that is placed over the nose, and the gas is then delivered to the patient. The oral sedative is easy enough to take, just swallow, and in my case the hardcore anesthesia was administered via IV.

In most cases a local numbing agent is still given to the patient to help augment the oral sedation. Overall, if the sleep dentist does a good job, the patient will come away from their endeavor satisfied with the care they have received.

Oral Sedation