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Sedation Dentistry is a safe, effective method for the patients experiencing fear associated with a dental office, helping them to cope with their anxiety and experience a comfortable, stress-free treatment. It relies on the administration of a certain family of drugs broadly known as sedatives to help you remain calm. While in a status of anxiety, a person's central nervous system overreacts to their surroundings. With the use of a sedative, the activity of the central nervous system is diminished to a level that allows the patient to experience comfort.
Who can Benefit from Sedation? In many cases, your anxieties about receiving dental care may be deep rooted in previous painful or uncomfortable treatments. The use of sedation allows you to be left with little to almost no memory of the treatment sessions. In cases where patients find their gag reflex to be a problem for dental treatment, sedation enables it to be controlled. Sedation also helps to control other excessive movements caused by excitement. In general, sedation dentistry leads to a better cooperation between you and your dentist, and helps to decrease the number of appointments needed. Patients who experience the following can also benefit from sedation: * Excessive fear in the dental office
* A scarred memory of previous painful treatments
* Fear of needles
Additionally, it could also be a viable option for people who do not find anesthesia convenient, or for those that it simply does not work properly for. It can also be a choice for complex and extensive dental treatments such as oral or Implant surgeries.
Sedation Modalities: Oral and IV Sedation dentistry often utilizes oral sedation. Oral sedation requires the patient to take 1 or 2 sedative pills prior to their dental appointment. By taking sedative pills, it offers a safe method for mild to moderate anxieties.
Equally as safe, but providing more benefits, is intravenous (IV) sedation. IV sedation is the injection of sedative medicine into a vein. Compared to oral sedation, IV sedation provides a more effective and lasting sedation, making it a preferred choice for controlling moderate to excessive levels of anxiety. It also leaves almost no trace of the appointment in a patient's memory because the patient will hardly notice the length of the treatment session. The IV method is unlike the oral method, as it allows the dentist to adjust and increase the level and duration of sedation, when needed. Also, because the medicine is directly injected into the vein, it takes effect quickly giving it an edge over the more delayed effect of oral medicine. Additionally, IV sedation makes it possible to administer analgesics (painkillers) intravenously at the same time in order to sooth the pain almost promptly, which is typically not possible in the use of oral sedation. The usefulness of oral sedation is somewhat limited and cannot match the true relief IV sedation promises.
Taking these features into account, IV sedation may be an appropriate choice for the more complicated, lengthier dental procedures as it eliminates the feeling of discomfort and reduces the number of appointments needed. It is also suitable for patients who decide to receive dental care after a long period of neglect, as their treatment plan typically include multiple procedures.
Always Remember: Due to the basic pharmaceutical function of sedatives, and their effect on the nervous system, you are not allowed to drive immediately before, or following, the appointment and therefore need someone to drive you.
Additionally, do not forget that your sedation expert dentist, Dr. Leila Ebrahimpoor, who is certified by the board, should exclusively perform IV sedation.
Dr. Leila Ebrahimpoor is an experienced sedation and general dentist. With a focus on quality care and comfort, this Ottawa dentist offers a variety of dental treatments including tooth whitening, veneers and dental implants in Ottawa, among many other smile-enhancing cosmetic procedures.
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