Sedation Dentistry San Jose CA - Fear Free Dental Care
Sedation Dentistry San Jose CA - Fear Free Dental Care
The methods for performing dental sedation depend on the type of sedation that is used. The process begins once the dentist is selected. The dentist will ask for a complete medical history including any medications you may be taking.
Nitrous oxide or laughing gas is probably the best know of all dental sedations. It is both odorless and colorless. The patient has a mask placed over their nose and they inhale the gas. A state of extreme relaxation is achieved. At that point the dentist will administer a local anesthetic because the nitrous oxide does not deaden the pain. However, the patient will tolerate the local anesthesia much better in their relaxed state. Nitrous Oxide may be mixed with oxygen to allow for longer procedures. The effects of Nitrous Oxide wear off almost immediately. When the procedure is over you will be able to drive home or go back to work.
With an oral sedative, the patient is given a drug in pill form approximately an hour before the dental procedure. The drug may be Valium or a similar drug. The level of sedation induced is moderate. The patient will be awake but relaxed and will probably not remember anything about the procedure. With this type of sedation the patient will need any escort to take them home.
IV sedation also uses drugs to achieve a relaxed semi conscious state, however because they are given intravenously the dentist can control the level of sedation throughout the procedure. When having IV sedation, it is important to check in advance and find out if your dentist has training and experience in this type of sedation. The drugs used are similar to the ones for oral sedation. During the procedure an assistant will monitor your pulse and oxygen levels. You should remain awake but become very sleepy and there may be periods when you do fall asleep. It should be a light sleep out of which you are easily awakened.
General anesthesia is the fourth type of sedation used in dentistry and it produces a state of unconsciousness in the patient. General anesthesia should always be administered by a specialist. Usually an oral surgeon and/or a dental anesthesiologist will administer this type of sedation and it is usually administered in a hospital. This is generally the same type of anesthesia that would be administered during any type of surgical procedure.