Sedation dentistry is something which a lot of people opt for when they have to undergo a dental operation. Those who’ve never experiences sedation before wonder why anyone would opt for it. We’re going to go through the various merits of sedation and what you can expect to feel like.

What is Sedation?

Sedation is something which has been wrongly looked at over the years. We have this image of sedation as something which knocks you out and you only wake up hours later with absolutely no memory of what happened. Whilst such treatments do exist, these are normally performed at hospitals due to the added requirement of aftercare. Furthermore, it’s very rare for patients to need this level of sedation.

Most sedation procedures use a local anesthetic to numb the area. It makes you feel completely relaxed and at ease. You’re fully conscious but you can’t feel anything dentists prefer this method of sedation as their patients can still respond to prompts physically or verbally.

Sedation has gotten increasingly cheaper over the years. Drugs like triazolam and diazepam have declined in price making it a more viable option for commercial dentists. A decade or two ago, it was quite an expensive procedure. Sedation can be covered by certain types of health insurance, so when you go to the dentist you won’t have to pay a penny.

What’s All this about Amnesia?

You will feel some sort of amnesia during your sedation. Sedation dentistry prides itself on being able to put its patients in a state where they don’t remember the experience. This is an advantage for people who’re absolutely terrified of the dentist. They’ll feel groggy and so relaxed they’ll only remember little snippets from the procedure itself.

Again, this only applies to certain times of sedation. The most basic type of sedation involves freezing just the relevant area of the mouth. In this case, the patient is fully awake and remembers everything about what’s happening.

No Needles

It’s ironic how dentists will sometimes use a solution injected into the gums because the patient is afraid of the procedure. For patients who’re also afraid of needles, which is a very common fear to have in North America, it’s no surprise they aren’t thrilled about the prospect of being sedated. These days, dentists use a simple pill to sedate people. It can be inserted intravenously, but the cost considerations make this a very rare delivery method in the 21st century.

After Effects

Most dental procedures will only hurt for a few hours afterwards. The sedative effects will wear off quite quickly, but they do leave traces of pain relief. Patients who’re sedated won’t feel as much discomfort later on because of the effects of sedation.

The only real disadvantage of sedation is patients will feel groggy for up to an hour afterwards. It usually means they need someone to get them home as it’s unsafe to drive. Since you’re technically under the influence of drugs at the time, driving yourself back home would be a bad idea.

About Author : Beth Louis, a professional writer. She promotes healthy living through her articles and for that suggests regular exercise. She feels pain-free, sedation dentistry is a boon to people like her who have low tolerance to painful dental procedures.
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