OR
Not just painless but not even a trace of memory of the pain
Sedation Dentistry? One may have not really heard of this procedure where the dentist will sedate you or put you under general anesthetic to perform major procedures such as a root canal or pulling wisdom teeth or equivalent. But Sedation Dentistry is something entirely different.
It is a procedure where the dentist will basically drug the patient to the point where he doesn’t really know what is going on. They are given a pill to take about an hour before their scheduled appointment. They have to get someone to bring them for the appointment and by the time they get there, they feel really drowsy. It is said that the patient will be sedated just enough to be unaware of the procedure. They will have very little or no memory at all of the experience and that they won’t really recollect any sights, smells or sounds.
It is said that around 30% – 40% of people actively avoid going to the dentist because of fear. There is no doubt that visiting the dentist can be an unpleasant activity. But it is imperative to say that this business of sedation dentistry would make one a little nervous. A person needs to have a really solid relationship with the dentist to trust them to perform this work on them with such a sedation level.
It’s important to remember or be aware of the fact that there is a difference between sedation and anesthesia. Anesthesia is administered by an anesthesiologist, whereas the sedation dentistry is typically carried out by the dentist. Again, reports of sedation dentistry state that most patients will not have any recollection of the dental visit, but that the patient consciousness is maintained to some degree. I guess this is to help the dentist with things like cooperation and safety.
However, taking advantage of sedation dentistry does not help avoid the need for a local anesthetic to numb the local area where work is being performed.
