Despite the many efforts that have been made to improve dental health care, many people are still suffering tooth loss as a result of preventable problems. One of the biggest reasons people allow simple dental problems to become major complications is fear of the dentist. In case you fear visiting the dentist, it is possible to get dental care from a sedation dentist in Long Island. Here are a few things to know about sedation dentistry.
How it is done
Sedation dentistry is simply the use of anesthesia when treating dental health complications. When the anesthesia is administered, the patient will be in a sleep-like state. The use of anesthesia is advisable for patients that have dental phobia and during procedures that require an extensive amount of time to treat.
The types of sedatives used
Nitrous oxide sedation:
This is the most common type of sedative used by dentists. A gas mask is placed over the patient’s nose, and they inhale nitrous oxide or laughing gas. This gas relaxes them and puts them in a sleep-like state. Local anesthesia is added to numb pain.
Oral sedatives:
These are given about an hour before the procedure. There are also certain types of oral sedatives that are given the night before the procedure. Note that oral sedatives do not offer pain relief. Their role is simply to make sure that the patient relaxes. A local anesthesia is administered after the sedative for pain relief.
IV sedation
: These are sedatives that are administered through an IV tube. Once the sedative is circulating in the patient’s blood, they relax and drift into a comfortable state. This also has to be accompanied by an anesthetic for pain relief.
The level of sedation applied
There are at least four levels of sedation used by dentists. These are light sedation, conscious sedation, unconscious sedation and deep sedation. The level of sedation that will be administered depends on the level of anxiety in the patient and the extent and nature of the procedure.
