Sedation Dentistry

Laughing gas is the mildest form of sedation dentistry composed of a gas made of nitrous oxide combined with oxygen. You have to inhale the laughing gas through a mask, and it takes effect soon after you inhale it. The laughing gas displaces the oxygen in your lungs, temporarily inducing oxygen deprivation in your brains, which leads to a lightheaded sensation. Laughing gas induces giggles and produces a warm and tingling sensation in which everything appears dream-like. The effects of laughing gas wear off soon after you stop inhaling the gas. Laughing gas dentistry is completely safe for children and adults. You can also drive yourself home after you’ve recovered from laughing gas. Dentists provide laughing gas to calm anxieties and fears during simple dental procedures, like wisdom teeth removal, teeth cleaning, etc.

Oral sedation dentistry is also called “conscious sedation dentistry” because you are awake during the procedure. The dentist may ask you to take one pill the night before the procedure and another pill just an hour before the procedure. However, the administration may vary based on the upcoming procedure. Oral sedation dentistry leaves you awake but in a relaxed and calm state of mind. Oral sedation dentistry is usually prescribed to patients with high levels of anxiety and stress. Even though you’re awake for the procedure, you may remember little to none of what happened during the procedure. The dentist may also hook you to some devices that monitor your vitals during the procedure. After the procedure, you may feel sleepy, so you should have someone else drive you back from the dentist. You’ll recover completely by the next day.

IV sedation dentistry can also be broken down into subcategories, depending on the intensity of the dental sedation. Twilight IV sedation dentistry is a milder form of IV sedation, in which you are conscious but don’t remember much of the procedure after it concludes. General anesthesia is a more intense form of IV sedation, and it’s commonly referred to as sleep dentistry. General anesthesia is pretty uncommon and only used for patients who have to undergo severe oral surgeries or those who are resistant to other forms of sedation dentistry. General anesthesia puts you to sleep, and it needs to be administered in a hospital or specialized clinic by an anesthesiologist. However, in most cases, your dentist will provide twilight IV sedation dentistry rather than general anesthesia.