Sedation Dentistry

Sedation is a major aspect when it comes to dentistry. It is used during procedures that could potentially be painful, such as surgeries, tooth extractions, gum grafting, etc. Mild sedation is also recommended for patients such as children and teenagers, who tend to become too anxious during dental procedures.

What are the types of sedation?

Sedation can be categorized based on the mode of how it is being administered. The three prominent types of sedation are as follows:

• Oral pills: Sedatives will be given to the patients in the form of oral pills. Patients would have to swallow them and the sedative would start to take effect in just a few minutes. Patients would have a faint idea of what is happening around them as they would be in a state of partial sleep.
• Inhalation: The patient will be made to inhale the sedative which will be in a gaseous form. The sedative is Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas. The patient will be given a comfortably fitting mask that they would wear on their mouth and nose. The gaseous sedative will be supplied, which the patient will be made to inhale. It would start to take effect in a few minutes, after which the patient starts to relax and find even the most normal things funny. It is one of the most widely used relaxants and doesn't have any known ill effects. It is medically tested and certified safe to be used on individuals of all ages, including children.
• Intravenous sedation: This type of sedation involves administering it directly to the vein of the patient. An injection containing the sedative is used for this purpose. It is usually recommended by the dentist when the patient has to undergo complicated dental procedures that could be painful. The patient goes into a deep sleep after the sedative has been administered and wouldn't have any memory of the procedure.

All means of sedation that we use are absolutely safe and wouldn't have any sort of negative effects on the patients' health. Moreover, we wouldn't recommend sedation unless it is absolutely necessary.

Call us at (408) 893-2348 or schedule an online appointment with Dr. Satbir K. Kahlon and we’ll be able to guide you further.