Posts for tag: conscious sedation nashville
Question: Why do dentists prescribe different sedatives for oral sedation procedures? My dentist prescribed Valium the night before and Triazolam the day of the procedure. Why two different sedatives?
Answer: Valium and Triazolam have different lengths of activity as well as time of onset. Likely the dentist prescribed the Valium the night before to help the patient sleep as well as promote some initial sedation that will linger due to its "half life" being much longer than Triazolam. Triazolam is short acting but works very quickly, therefore this is given the day of or 1 hour prior to procedure to help improve/deepen the level of sedation. The prescription of these sedatives is determined by: medical history, type of procedures involved as well as length, level of anxiety and others (e.g. gag reflex). Talk to Dr.Glasmeier about what sedatives are needed for oral sedation dentistry!
Question: Will I be unconscious for sedation dentistry?
Answer: No, being unconcious for sedation dentistry would imply general anesthesia. General anesthesia is not commonly used in dentistry for adults but more frequent in children in a hospital settings. Being unconscious implies not being able to maintain your airway. Most of the sedation dentistry techniques are designed to put the patient in very relaxed state yet the patient still has a patent airway. The patient can still breathe(ventilate), move their limbs, and respond to verbal command (i.e. yes or no answers). There are different levels of sedation that provide deeper relaxation as well as increasing the likelihood of amnesia following treatment. Talk to Dr.Glasmeier about how sedation dentistry can relax you!
Question: Is Dental Sedation Safe and Is it for everyone?
Answer: Yes and no. Dental Sedation is very safe and most of the time very predictable in the response you will get. While there are multiple forms of providing sedation such oral, IV, IM, IN, inhalation, some forms are safer than others. The type of sedation to be used is tailored to the patient that desires it as well as fitting the comfort level of the provider.
For example, IV sedation is an excellent treatment for adults that have a great deal of anxiety yet not recommended in treatment for children.
Why is this?
Determining the proper type of sedation is not just evaluating the medical history of the patient, but evaluating previous dental experiences, assessing the compliance or willingness of the patient to forego treatment, and ensuring the patient has been educated about what is being done, why and how.
Back to IV sedation, children are not candidates for IV due to their inability to understand what is going on and they are less likely to be compliant to the situation. Nitrous oxide (laughing gas) or oral sedation are better options for the child because of their noninvasive nature.
The majority of patients I encounter in my practice are good candidates for sedation dentistry. The more important question is what kind of sedation do they need and what will help them achieve the experience they desire. The answer to this lies in the evaluation by the dentist. Spend time with your dentist, discussing your fears, past experiences, medical history, family history as well as your goals and expectations. The combination of all of these will establish whether or not you are a candidate for sedation!
Dr.Glasmeier
