A majority of individuals would rather avoid visiting a dental practice, if it can be avoided. Some of the reasons include fear, a bad experience, difficulty in getting numb, sensitive teeth or simply not having the time to visit a dental practice. Sedation Dentistry Cambridge MA professionals help individuals to overcome anxieties and fear through various methods. Only the trained individuals are allowed to practice sedation dentistry. Some of the common effects of this procedure include feeling drowsy, at times being knocked out, and no discomfort whatsoever during the dental procedure.
Sedation is a technique used in several dental procedures such as cleaning, fillings, oral surgery, root canals, extractions, implants, crowns and periodontal surgery. It is vital for the patients to inform the dentist about any medications they are currently taking before any sedation drug can be administered. Sedation dentistry has four approaches:
Oral Sedation:
The sedative, Halcon, Valium, Ativan or Xanax, is administered as a pill. It has been observed, in some patients, to take a long time to take effect requiring higher doses. It is taken about a half hour to an hour before the appointment time.
Topical Anesthesia:
The formulation comes in the form of adhesive patches, gels, or sprays that are applied to skin or the mucous membranes in order to ease the pain caused by injected drugs.
Laughing Gas or General Anesthesia:
This involves the inhalation of Nitrous Oxide gas. The gas is non-irritating and sweet smelling providing the patients with a euphoric feeling, which has no hangover side effects later. It is a safe method of meditation for patients with Diabetes, epilepsy, cerebrovascular, liver or heart disease.
Intravenous Sedation (IV):
This is administered to the bloodstream via a vein and is the highest level of sedation in a highly controlled environment. ‘Twilight sleep’, as it is sometimes known as, has to be administered after the patient has not eaten anything for six hours. One of the most common side effects includes partial memory loss after the procedure.
Apart from sedation, a dentist may employ listening to music and watching a movie as a distraction during the dental procedure. The professionals at Cambridge Dental Group should prove invaluable to help you select the best method that will work for you.
