How to be Completely Relaxed with Sedation Dentistry

If you’re nervous about an upcoming dental appointment, there are a few ways to take the edge off that will leave you feeling relaxed and calm.

Patients who have dental procedures done using sedation dentistry often report that the procedure seems to go by faster and they experience very little or no discomfort at all.

Sedation dentistry is perfectly safe as it is performed by certified dentists and anesthesiologists. They ensure you get only the amount of sedation needed for your procedure and will continually monitor and adjust it as needed.

8 Steps to Relaxing with Sedation Dentistry in Houston

1.    Have a friend or family member drive you to an appointment where you’ll be needing sedation dentistry.

2.    Take a medication prescribed by a doctor or dentist one hour before your appointment to help calm you.

3.    Once in the dental chair, try to relax and make yourself as comfortable as possible.

4.    The dentist or an anesthesiologist will set up the sedation method you’ll be using.

This may be nitrous oxide (laughing gas) or an IV sedation.

5.    Breathe deeply with the nitrous oxide or just lay back comfortably with IV sedation. Allow the effects to calm you.

6.    The dentist will perform the procedure and either they or an anesthesiologist will continually monitor and adjust the level of sedation to keep you totally relaxed and free of discomfort.

7.    Once the procedure is done, they will turn off the sedation entirely.

8.    You will regain full cognitive capabilities as the sedation wears off over the next few hours.

Some sedation like nitrous oxide can wear off quickly, usually within 45-60 minutes.

Benefits of Sedation Dentistry

●     Fear is virtually eliminated as sedation puts you into a calm and relaxed state.

●     It never takes more than a gentle nudge to awaken a sedated patient.

●     Time seems to go by much faster for the patient.

●     The dentist is able to accomplish a lot of work in a shorter amount of time, especially with patients who may be resistant to treatment, such as children.

●     Pain and discomfort can be totally eliminated through sedation.

Balancing the Intensity of Sedation

In most cases, only a moderate level of sedation is needed for a patient. Prescription pain relief pills or nitrous oxide will dull the senses enough to allow a procedure to be done without pain.

More invasive procedures that take a long time and cause a lot of discomfort are the prime scenario for IV sedation.

IV sedation dentistry is much stronger, and it can be controlled the most accurately.

It can bring people to the brink of consciousness, either just barely conscious or unconscious as needed.

The higher level of sedation means that the patient will unlikely be aware of what is happening, making the procedure seem to pass much quicker and without any pain or discomfort.

IV sedation is continually adjusted to ensure the patient is always at the optimum level of sedation. Too much and they may be unresponsive to the dentist’s instructions, too little and they may become uncomfortable.

This delicate balancing act is a premier trait of the best dentists in Houston, requiring them to be certified to use IV sedation.

Their high level of training grants them the ability to maintain the perfect balance of sedation throughout a procedure, so the patient gets through it quickly and with as little discomfort as possible.