SEDATION DENTISTRY

SEDATION DENTISTRY

Sedation dentistry refers to using medication to relax patients as the dentists carry out dental procedures.Some people refer to sedation dentistry as sleep dentistry but this is not very correct since one is not entirely asleep in the process.Patients remain awake unless there is need for general anesthesia.Sedation dentistry is very helpful especially when it comes to patients who dread visiting dentists' clinics since it helps them relax through the entire process.

 There are different levels of sedation when it comes to sedation dentistry.Sedation will range from minimal going to moderate,deep, and finally we have general anesthesia.

Minimal sedation is perhaps the mildest of all levels of sedation in sedation dentistry.Here the patient remains fully awake even after sedation though he/she feels relaxed throughout the entire process.

Above minimal sedation we have moderate sedation also commonly referred to as conscious sedation.This is slightly higher than minimal sedation since one 's speech may be slurry and also later one may not be able to recall all the events in the process.

Beyond moderate sedation we get to deep sedation.Here now the patient may be losing his consciousness.However it differs from general anesthesia since the patient can be awakened at any time during the procedure.

Above deep sedation is where we now get to general anesthesia.This is the highest level of sedation and the patient is normally completely unconscious.

Sedation can be achieved bu using sedative drugs.Traditionally sedatives used to be injected into the patients especially through the arm.Today however,sedation is commonly carried out orally.This tends to work out best bearing in mind some people are scared of needles.However,oral sedation may still require injection of anesthetic into the mouth to numb one completely from all pain.This injection however may not be that painful since sedation would already have been done.

Sedation dentistry has brought some great advantages in the field of dental health.It helps simplify complex dental procedures so that they only seem to take just a few minutes while in fact they took hours.This is because one is sedated and relaxed through the entire process.Traditionally,these procedures seemed to last forever and patients were really anxious to get out of that dentist's chair.

Also,sedation dentistry has contributed greatly in ensuring people do not neglect their oral health since they are no longer afraid of visiting dental clinics.They visit dentists regularly since sedation dentistry has brought a way of eliminating fear,pain and anxiety.

With advancements taking place in all fields,sedation dentistry indeed has played a big role in bringing the same into the field  of dental health.