Some dental procedures are done with local anesthesia, but even without the presence of pain, you may feel anxiety and fear which can complicate the treatment. Today, however, patients can now request to be sedated instead of just getting general anesthesia, in order to keep them calm and relaxed throughout the procedure. If you elect to undergo a sedation dentistry appointment, here are some things you may expect.
Come With A Friend
Before the procedure, your doctor will also ask you to come to the clinic accompanied by a friend or a family member to look after you after the procedure and help you go home.
To help you relax even more, most doctors allow you to bring things, blankets, stuffed toys, music player with headphones as long as they will not interfere with the treatment. Some even allow companions to be in the treatment room if that will help you relax better.
Evaluation and Monitoring
In the treatment room, your condition will be evaluated and monitored (such as blood pressure, pulse, and blood oxygen levels).
Sedation dentistry or conscious sedation is a very safe and low-risk procedure, however, it is not one hundred risk-free, thus at no time will you be left alone nor your vital signs monitoring stopped as your health and safety is always your dentist’s priority concern.
How Sedation Is Done
Once stable and comfortable, the dentist will start your sedative medication. In some instances, an IV will also be administered. Remember that sedatives do not block the pain, but will only keep you calm and relaxed. It is the local anesthesia that will numb the area against pain, so you will still need it.
Once completely sedated, your dentist can then start your treatment. Since dental sedation is a conscious form of sedation, you can fully respond to your dentist’s instructions and provide him or her with feedback or reaction via non-verbal signals to indicate any discomfort that you may feel. This allows him or her to adjust movements or hand/tool pressure for your optimal treatment. The advantage of being sedated is that your dentist can complete several dental procedures while you remain calm and relaxed.
If everything goes well, patients you will quickly lose track of time and remain relaxed and at ease during the entire process. Once your procedure is done, the sedatives will be stopped, the IV’s are removed (if this was administered earlier) and you will gradually become alert. Patients usually describe coming out of sedation somewhat being dazed with some sort of short-term amnesia with little or no recollection at all of the procedure. Other side effects are a feeling of general “hangover,” nausea or possible vomiting. These are not common though and if this happens to you, your doctor will most likely advise you with another option on your next treatment.
Any post-procedure instructions and after care advise will be given to you and your companion during recovery. Patient recovery is fairly quick and within hours you may resume your normal activities. Once you are fully recovered at the clinic and can comfortably walk, you will be released to go home. However, it is advised that your companion drive you home to ensure your safety.
If you are considering this type of procedure, feel free to talk to your dentist so that he or she can evaluate if sedation dentistry is a good idea for you.