Dental anxiety can create a huge obstacle to taking care of your teeth. Almost 22 percent of people skip their dental appointments because they fear the dentist, according to the American Dental Association. Thankfully, modern dentistry provides several solutions for finding peace of mind in the dental chair. IV sedation dentistry is just one of those options for easing your dental anxiety. Find out if IV sedation is right for you.
IV sedation dentistry works as a form of conscious sedation to help you feel relaxed during your appointment. This method does not put you fully to sleep, but it does make you less aware of your surroundings — including anything the dentist may or may not be doing to your mouth. That means you can still respond to verbal commands or gentle nudging, and you should not need help breathing. Unlike other forms of sedation that are inhaled (like nitrous oxide) or taken in pill form, the dentist administers the sedation intravenously, which means through your vein.
IV sedation provides several benefits:
How to Prepare for IV Sedation
Because you will forfeit some of your mental faculties, you will need to prepare more for IV sedation than you do for a typical dental appointment. Here’s what you can expect before, during, and after your IV sedation:
Before
Your dentist will provide explicit instructions before your appointment. Usually, these involve recommendations to wear comfortable clothing, avoid eating or drinking 6-8 hours before sedation and stop taking certain medications (unless previously approved). You will need to provide a complete medical history and alert your dentist to any changes beforehand. Also, line up a driver to take you to the appointment and pick you up.
During
Once you make it to the dental chair, a dental professional will start an IV in your hand or arm. If you need any other medications — such as pain medicine, anti-inflammatories, or steroids — you will usually receive these through your IV, too. The dentist will monitor your pulse, breathing, and blood pressure throughout the procedure to watch for any adverse reactions. You should immediately feel relaxed and unaware of any sights, smells, or sounds.
After
After the procedure, you might feel slightly drowsy for several hours. Your driver will collect any post-procedure instructions from the dentist and take you home. You will need to clear your calendar for the next 24 hours and avoid strenuous activity, unapproved medications, alcohol, operating heavy machinery, or making major life decisions. Complications with sedation are rare but contact the dentist immediately if you suspect any problems.
Are You a Good Candidate for IV Sedation?
Before your dentist schedules you for IV sedation, you will undergo a health evaluation, including a review of your medical history and medication use. Patients who are older or have significant medical considerations might first require a consultation with their primary care physician or medical specialist. Typically, good candidates for IV sedation include:
Ultimately, your dentist knows best if IV sedation is right for you. However, the ability to offer IV sedation requires extra training, so check with your dental office to see what’s available.
Are you scheduled for a dental procedure and have questions about anesthesia?
Around 10 to 30 percent
Trusted Source
of people have anxiety and concerns about pain with dental procedures. Anxiety can delay getting treatment and that can make the problem worse.
Anesthetics have been around for over 175 years! In fact, the first recorded procedure with an anesthetic was done in 1846 using ether.
We’ve come a long way since then, and anesthetics are an important tool in helping patients feel comfortable during dental procedures.
With lots of different options available, anesthesia can be confusing. We break it down so you’ll feel more confident before your next dental appointment.
Anesthesia means a lack or loss of sensation. This can be with or without consciousness.
Today there are many options available for dental anesthetics. Medications can be used alone or combined for better effect. It’s individualized for a safe and successful procedure.
The type of anesthetics used also depends on the age of the person, health condition, length of the procedure, and any negative reactions to anesthetics in the past.
Anesthetics work in different ways depending on what’s used. Anesthetics can be short-acting when applied directly to an area or work for longer times when more involved surgery is required.
The success of dental anesthesia depends on:
Other things that may effect dental anesthesia include the timing of the procedure. Research
Trusted Source
also shows that inflammation can have a negative impact on the success of anesthetics.
Also, for local anesthesia, teeth in the lower jaw (mandibular) section of the mouth are harder to anesthetize than the upper jaw (maxillary) teeth.
There are three main types of anesthesia: local, sedation, and general. Each has specific uses. These can also be combined with other medications.
Local anesthesia is used for simpler procedures like a cavity filling, which requires a shorter time to complete and is generally less complicated.
You will be conscious and able to communicate when you get a local anesthetic. The area will be numb, so you won’t feel pain.
Most local anesthetics take effect quickly (within 10 minutes) and last 30 to 60 minutes. Sometimes a vasopressor such as epinephrine is added to the anesthetic to increase its effect and to keep the anesthetic effect from spreading to other areas of the body.
Local anesthetics are available over the counter and as a prescription in gel, ointment, cream, spray, patch, liquid, and injectable forms.
They can be used topically (applied directly to the affected area to numb) or injected into the area to be treated. Sometimes, light sedation is added to local anesthetics to help relax a person.