17

Jun

Dental visits can be uncomfortable, painful, and generally intimidating. If you are the kind of person who becomes very anxious when visiting a dentist’s office, regardless of the seriousness of the procedure, you can consider oral conscious sedation. This is an excellent way to get the oral care you need without the stress. Oral sedation is needle-free and straightforward, whereby you take a prescription medication before your visit. The goal is usually to reach the dentist’s office while you are already in a deep state of relaxation, but still awake.

An Overview of Oral Conscious Sedation

Many people experience serious anxiety when visiting a dentist’s office, even for a minor routine. This is mainly because of the pain and discomfort associated with dental care. Dentists use some of the most intimidating tools, including syringes, drills, and scalers. These tools are feared most because of their sharp, pointed, and whirling nature. Dentists do their best to keep their patients calm and comfortable throughout procedures. They use anesthesia to protect from pain and discomfort, especially during painful and invasive procedures.

Oral conscious sedation is an approach recommended for people who become highly anxious whenever they have to visit a dentist’s office, even for a minor procedure. It helps them remain calm throughout the procedure. The person can take a prescribed medication at home, visit the dentist’s office, and sit and remain calm during dental care, all while remaining conscious and in total control.

People who have used oral conscious sedation have described experiencing a super calm feeling, almost as if they are in a pleasant dream. This type of sedation is designed to keep you calm so you can get through a dental procedure with minimal disruption. This ensures that your dentist performs an excellent job on your teeth and gums within the required time, saving you a great deal of time. When compared to the laughing gas, oral conscious sedation makes you more relaxed. However, when compared to general anesthesia, it keeps you totally conscious and aware of what is happening to and around you.

Thus, oral conscious sedation is highly recommended for anyone who experiences severe dental anxiety. When you dread visiting your dentist’s office even for a minor procedure, your body is already in its fight-or-flight mode. This can make it difficult for you to go through with the procedure, regardless of how important it is. However, oral sedation works on your central nervous system, managing your stress and anxiety even before your body’s fight-or-flight response kicks in. This allows you to get the dental care services you need without worrying so much.

The Right Candidate for Oral Conscious Sedation

Although many people experience stress and anxiety when visiting a dentist’s office, some people are able to go through different procedures with minimal disruptions. That is why dentists do not recommend oral conscious sedation to every patient. A dentist has to determine your suitability for a particular medication before prescribing it.

If you have been holding your dental visits because of anxiety, you should talk about that with your dentist. Sometimes getting through a difficult dental appointment requires more than a comfortable dental chair and a kind or reassuring dentist. Talk to your dentist about your fears and together, explore your sedation options. They will likely recommend oral conscious sedation if the following are true:

  • You always experience moderate or severe anxiety before and during a dental procedure, and this has affected your treatment in the past.
  • You experience a significant gag reflex during dental procedures, which makes procedures difficult for you and your dentist.
  • You are about to undergo a complex or long dental procedure, and you want it done in one visit.
  • You do not really experience numbness with local anesthesia alone, and this affects your treatment.

If you are the right candidate for oral conscious sedation, your dentist will explain how it is administered, what to expect, and how you will feel during and after the procedure. Generally, you are required to take the medication at least one hour before the appointment. This will take care of any fear or anxiety you could be feeling about the appointment and the treatment you are about to receive. You regain control of your health in such a way that fear, stress, and anxiety do not get in the way of your decision-making.

How Oral Conscious Sedation Works

This type of sedation uses an oral pill, prescribed by a dentist prior to a dental procedure. The prescription pill, which is mainly a benzodiazepine, is taken at least one hour before a dental procedure. The aim is to induce deep relaxation, reduce anxiety, and sometimes cause amnesia so you will not remember some details about the procedure. The mediation keeps you awake and conscious so that you can respond to commands and have a conversation. However, generally, you are in a very drowsy state.

When taken, the pill enhances GABA transmission in your brain, reducing activity in your central nervous system. This is what triggers the calming effect you experience until the medication wears off. Once you are sedated, you can relax for as long as needed to get through your appointment. You are generally not concerned about your surroundings, although you remain responsive and conscious. A dental hygienist will monitor your vitals before your appointment, including your oxygen levels and pulse, to ensure you are doing well. They will keep checking your vitals during and after the procedure until the medication wears off.

Oral conscious sedation triggers a very important amnesic effect that leaves you with little or no memory of your appointment. Thus, you can always return for additional dental procedures without feeling anxious about the previous one. The amnesic feeling also makes you feel as if you only took a few minutes in the dentist’s office. If your anxiety is mainly based on how long a dental procedure actually takes, this could be an excellent option for you. Generally, the amnesic effect helps you break the cycle of stress and fear, which makes your subsequent visits to the dentist’s office less intimidating.

The Benefits

The many benefits of oral conscious sedation are the reason why it is one of the most popular sedation options in the field of dentistry. Many people who experience extreme anxiety and fear during dental visits opt for this type of sedation for the following reasons:

It Reduces Your Fear and Anxiety

Fear and anxiety can affect how you enjoy certain critical services, like dental care. This puts you at risk of serious oral problems like cavities, gum disease, and oral cancer. If you experience extreme fear and anxiety whenever you have to see a dentist, you may keep postponing your visits until your dental issues worsen. Dentists have sedation options aimed at keeping you relaxed through any type of dental procedure, including oral conscious sedation. This option will keep you calm and at ease throughout your appointment for any dental procedure. It will also leave you with a few memories of what transpired during your dental appointment.

Oral Conscious Sedation Does Not Involve Needles

Remember that oral sedation is administered as a pill you take before your dental appointment. It does not involve an injection, which could worsen your anxiety. The pill works on your central nervous system, reducing its activities and keeping you calm and relaxed until it wears off. Thus, if your greatest fear of dental visits is injections, this sedation option is worth considering. You can administer the sedation at home with your dentist’s guidance to keep it effective throughout your procedure.

The Benefits of the Amnesic Effect

Remember that oral conscious sedation also causes an amnesic effect that can be very beneficial to someone who experiences serious dental phobia. This effect leaves you without memory of what happened during your procedure. You do not remember the pulling and scraping on your teeth, or the smells and sounds that create a lasting memory in your subconscious. Some people are so affected by such memories that they avoid returning to the dentist’s office, especially after an invasive procedure. This does not affect you after oral conscious sedation. This means that you can comfortably make appointments with your dentist for future treatments, even after an intensive procedure.

It Promotes Extreme Comfort and Relaxation

If you are going through a lengthy dental procedure, you could experience anxiety thinking about how uncomfortable you will likely be. This is especially true if you sometimes feel a gag reflex that you keep suppressing every time your dentist is working on your teeth or gums. You can undergo a lengthy dental procedure and overcome the gag reflex with oral conscious sedation. Remember that although this sedation keeps you conscious, it makes you unbothered by what is happening around you. A long procedure can feel like a short one because you are not actually conscious of how long you have been seated in a dentist’s chair.

You Can Undergo Multiple Procedures

If your appointment is for multiple dental procedures, oral conscious sedation will help you get through them. You can remain relaxed and comfortable all day without feeling tired or uncomfortable. This sedation helps you remain still, making it easy for your dentist to work on your teeth with minimal disruption.

Possible Risk Factors of Oral Conscious Sedation

Although oral conscious sedation has so many benefits to offer, it has some potential risk factors that you should be aware of. Your skilled dentist will discuss these risk factors with you as they evaluate your suitability for this type of sedation. Some of the risks you should be concerned about include the following:

  • It has adverse effects on patients with respiratory conditions. Thus, if you have severe asthma, chronic bronchitis, sleep apnea, or COPD, or generally experience breathing difficulties, you are not advised to use oral conscious sedation.
  • It may affect patients with cardiovascular disease, including those with uncontrolled blood pressure, arrhythmia, or who have recently had a heart attack. This type of sedation risks worsening their condition.
  • Your dentist will advise you against oral conscious sedation if you are obese or are experiencing airway or anatomical issues. This type of sedation can cause an obstruction of your airway, making it difficult to breathe.
  • You are unsuitable for this sedation if you have a systemic or neurological disorder, like Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, or Parkinson's disease. It can increase your risk of complications.
  • If you have a previous allergic reaction to sedatives or are taking medications that could enhance sedation effects, discuss it with your dentist prior to taking oral conscious sedation.
  • Pregnancy is also a high-risk factor for patients taking sedatives. You should let your dentist know about your condition before agreeing to any sedation or anesthesia.

Additionally, oral conscious sedation can cause side effects in some patients. Some of the side effects you should know about include:

  • Breathing problems like slowed breathing, or heart issues like cardiovascular depression
  • You could become over-sedated, where you experience prolonged drowsiness and getting into deeper levels of sedation or confusion, more than expected.
  • Some patients experience paradoxical or occasional reactions, like excitement, agitation, or confusion. Elderly and pediatric patients mainly experience these.
  • You could experience serious physical symptoms like vomiting, nausea, dizziness, headaches, and a dry mouth.
  • Some patients have also reported memory impairment even after the drug wears off.

To mitigate these risk factors, your dentist needs to conduct a pre-sedation evaluation, which is generally a review of your medical history and a physical assessment of your airway and general physical status. They can also closely monitor you after sedation to ensure that your blood pressure, pulse, and oxygen levels are normal for the period you remain sedated. Your dentist can ensure that trained personnel are present during the administration of the drug and the monitoring phase. The trained personnel can take immediate charge in case of an emergency.

Recovering after Oral Conscious Sedation

Oral conscious sedation wears off within 24 hours of taking the pill. Your dental procedure will happen within that period, leaving you with some time to rest. If you take the oral sedation while still at home, you need someone to drive you to and from your dental appointment. Depending on the nature and seriousness of the procedure you are undergoing, your dentist can release you to recover from home immediately or a few hours after the procedure.

Within 24 hours of sedation, ensure that you have someone with you at all times. Although you are still conscious, you are not physically able to do much for yourself. Additionally, you need plenty of rest and to stay hydrated as the drug wears off from your system. You are also required to avoid handling heavy tasks, including exercising, lifting, or operating machines.

Drinking plenty of water helps in flushing out the sedative from the system. It also helps with dry mouth, which is a common side effect of oral sedation.

You need good nutrition, too, for your general health. Your dentist will advise you to start with soft, bland foods like mashed potatoes and yogurt as you recover from the dental procedure. Spicy, crunchy, and hot foods may irritate your gums, especially after treatment.

In most cases, your dentist will send you home with some pain medication and antibiotics. You should take those as directed. You should avoid drugs and substances like alcohol and tobacco, which could interact with the sedation or the prescribed medication, delaying your recovery.

Drowsiness or grogginess is very common before the sedation completely wears off. You are encouraged to sleep and rest well until it passes. If you experience nausea, your dentist will recommend sipping some water. Memory loss is also expected, especially about the procedure.

However, if you experience excessive pain, uncontrolled bleeding, severe nausea and vomiting, or fever, you should contact your dentist immediately.

If everything goes well, you should be well enough to handle some basic tasks on the second day of your treatment. However, this also depends on the type of dental procedure you have undertaken. An invasive procedure takes longer to recover, and requires you to take a longer healing period. It is important to allow yourself plenty of time to heal completely before resuming your daily tasks. If you experience something unusual, ensure that your dentist is aware of it to avoid complications.

Find a Competent Dentist Near Me

If you are afraid or anxious about a dental procedure, and your dentist recommends oral conscious sedation, take time to learn about it to know what to expect. This type of sedation is generally easy to administer, safe, and very effective. However, it can cause adverse side effects if you have an underlying medical condition. Talk to your dentist about your medical history, experience with sedatives, and any other health concerns before agreeing to sedation.

At The Whittier Dentist, we provide all the information you need to know about oral conscious sedation for informed decision-making. We also conduct a thorough examination of your physical well-being and review your medical history to ensure that you are a good candidate. Call us at 562-632-1223 to learn more about your options in Whittier and our services.