Sedation Dentistry: Are There Any Kind of Risks?

Does the thought of sitting on the dentist’s chair send a cold chill down your spine? Do you avoid coming to the dentist because of dental anxiety? If this describes you, we have sedation dentistry in Grove City, OH, that can help calm your nerves and make you comfortable during your visit.

Sedation dentistry is an awesome way to help patients, even children, have an easier time, and now it is becoming even more popular in dentistry. However, some people still have questions about the safety of undergoing sedation dentistry. In most cases, misinformation can lead to fear.

Understanding more about sedation will help you know what it’s about and the risks involved so that you can be well prepared. Let’s look at the different levels of sedation that our dentist may use depending on your situation.

Levels of Sedation 

Sedation dentistry in Grove City, OH, uses medication or drugs to help you be calm during procedures. You might have heard it being referred to as sleep dentistry, but this is not a very accurate description of the procedure.

Generally, most patients will be awake during dental procedures, except those under general anesthesia.

Here are the levels of sedation:

• Minimal Sedation

With this form of sedation, you will inhale the laughing gas to induce conscious sedation. The gas will be administered using a gas mask to ensure that you stay relaxed during the procedure.

You will be aware of what is going on with minimal sedation, but you will be relaxed enough to sit through the procedure.

• Moderate Sedation

With this type of sedation, our dentist will administer the anti-anxiety drugs orally. The dosage can still be increased depending on your situation. This is still a form of conscious sedation where you will be awake during the process. However, the sedation will be a bit deeper.

Don’t be shocked if you find yourself having slurred speech after the procedure. Also, there’s a chance that you might have a problem remembering every single detail.

• Deep Sedation

With deep sedation, you will be semi-conscious. This means that you will be on the edge of consciousness during the procedure. In most cases, the anesthetic drugs will be administered intravenously.

• General Anesthesia

When you go for this option, it means that you will be unconscious during the procedure. Our general anesthesia dentist would administer the anesthesia, and you will be sedated as if you would be during an operation.

So, Is It Safe?

Generally, sedation used in dentistry is perfectly safe. However, there is always some degree of risk that you can expect with sedation. The exact risk is determined by the type of sedation that you choose to undergo.

More so, when the procedure is performed by a trained general anesthesia dentist like ours, you are in safe hands. Our dentist will ascertain which type and level of sedation can safely work in your situation.

What Are the Potential Risks?

With sedation, the level of risk involved is directly tied to your circumstance and the level of sedation. As mentioned earlier, you must know that the one who administers the anesthesia should be well-trained and have the necessary experience.

However, the following scenarios are worthy mentions:

• Sedation While Pregnant

If you need an involving or complex treatment such as a filling or a root canal, sedation will be perfectly fine for you and your baby. However, deeper levels of sedation are to be avoided at the beginning and later stages of pregnancy. Lighter levels of sedation are recommended in these stages.

In the beginning, it is avoided because there’s a risk of it passing through the placenta and might affect your child’s development in the first trimester. In the last trimester, deep levels of sedation may lead to preterm labor.

In any case, you can discuss in much detail with our dentist and see which path would be safest for you and your child.

• Sedation While Having Pre-existing Medical Conditions

Pre-existing medical conditions increase the risk of using sedation. So, our dentist will discuss with you if there are any potential risks and which type of sedation will work in your particular case.

• Sedation for Elderly Patients

Elderly patients are more likely to be at risk when they use deep levels of sedation. In most cases, our dentist may recommend light levels of sedation.

If you want to undergo sedation dentistry during your visit, contact our general anesthesia dentist at daily DENTAL & bracesbar.