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Dental Sedation Methods

Dental sedation involves giving a patient medication that alters consciousness during a dental procedure. Sedation may be recommended for patients having a complicated or painful procedure. It may also be recommended for or requested by patients who have a great degree of anxiety and fear over having dental work done. There are four types of sedation used in dentistry and each produces a different effect.

  1. Nitrous Oxide

    • Nitrous oxide gas, also referred to as laughing gas, is used by dentists to induce a mild type of sedation. When nitrous oxide is used, a mask is placed over the patient's nose from which the gas is inhaled. With the use of nitrous oxide the patient remains conscious but experiences an altered consciousness and a feeling of euphoria. This allows the patient to essentially forget about what the dentist is doing in his mouth. A benefit to using nitrous oxide for dental procedures is a patient has no lasting effects once he stops breathing the gas and can drive home after sedation.

    Oral Sedation

    • Oral sedation during dental procedures involves giving a patient a medication from the benzodiazepine family. Oral sedation allows a patient to enter into a sleep-like state and leaves her with little or no memory of the dental procedure that is being performed. A patient who receives oral sedation will not be allowed to drive home after the procedure and must come with a licensed driver who is able to care for her until the medication wears off.

    IV Sedation

    • Intravenous (IV) sedation allows a dentist to adjust the level of sedation a patient is under. The effect of sedative medication that is administered through an IV is instantaneous. If a dentist needs a patient to respond to commands, he can use less medication, and if he needs the patient to be more deeply sedated he can use more. Regardless of whether light or heavy IV sedation is used the patient will not remember what happened during the dental procedure. As with oral sedation, a patient receiving IV sedation must be accompanied by a licensed driver who can care for him after the procedure.

    General Anesthesia

    • General anesthesia is used by dentists for procedures in which a patient needs to be completely unconscious. The patient is completely unaware of anything that is happening and cannot feel any pain. Some patients requiring general anesthesia need to have procedures done in a hospital because of the special precautions taken before and risks associated with this type of sedation. General anesthesia can be administered either through an IV or through a breathing mask. The patient must come to the dental appointment with a responsible person who can drive him home and help him after the procedure.

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