Sedation Dentistry For Adult and Pediatric Patients

By M. S. Warshanna, DMD

Angel Dental Care

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Sedation Dentistry For Adult and Pediatric Patients

Most of us have some form of anxiety or fear about visiting the dentist. In order to help relieve some of this discomfort dentists offer sedation dentistry.

There are several type of sedation methods used today to ease your anxiety about dental treatment.

The first is oral sedation, which is appropriate for adult and pediatric patients. The patient takes a pill before treatment. The patient becomes sleepy and develops a diminished awareness of sounds and smells. The effect can last up to four hours. A patient is monitored for his or her individual response. Commonly administered oral sedatives include Valium, Halcion, Xanax and Ativan.

Advantages of oral conscious sedation include it is easily administered (no needles), generally has a low incidence of side effects, the patient can breathe independently, and the patient retains the ability to interact with and respond to the dentist. The assistant will monitor the patient's blood pressure, heart rate and how well the patient is breathing.

The second is inhalation anesthesia sedation. The most commonly used inhalation agent is nitrous oxide or “laughing gas.” The nitrous oxide is a sedating gas that is combined with oxygen to make patients feel more comfortable during treatment. A small rubber inhaler is placed over the patient's nose and adjusted so that the patient breathes through it. With nitrous oxide, most patients experience an initial feeling of lightheadedness, which gradually leads to overall increase feeling of wellbeing. The advantages of inhalation sedation are its rapid onset, lack of lingering effects, the ability of the patient to engage in conversation while under its influence and the ability of the patient to drive home unassisted.

The third form of sedation that we provide is intravenous sedation or IV sedation, which is most appropriate for adults. Patients often think they are asleep and have no memory of the procedure but can respond to the dentist when necessary. IV sedation is a safe, precise and highly effective technique for management of moderate to more severe levels of dental fear. This method may also be used for patients who are not physically or behaviorally able to cooperate with dentistry. Commonly used drugs include Valium, Versed, Fentanyl, Propofol, and Demerol, either alone or in combinations selected by the doctor. A major benefit of some of these drugs is amnesia. The patient will have no memory of most, or even all, of the dental treatment. Another benefit is the comparatively quick recovery time.

Most patients relax and have a light meal the evening following treatment. During the procedure, devices will be attached to the patient to monitor breathing, blood pressure and heart rate.