If you feel nervous about upcoming dental work, you are not alone. Many people experience dental fear, and modern dentistry works to make you feel more comfortable in the dentist’s chair. Your dentist can offer you oral sedation to induce a calm sensation during your dental work and improve your dentistry experience.
Even if you look forward to its benefits, you might feel anxious about taking medicine when you do not know what to expect from it. To boost confidence in your dental work, read on to learn about the process behind oral sedation treatment.
Preparation for Dental Sedation
If you have a history of dental fear or gagging during dental work, you should talk to your dentist about sedation dentistry. They can discuss your desires for this type of treatment along with your medical history to determine the right medication for your needs.
Then if you and your dentist agree to try oral sedation, the dentist will prescribe the medicine for you. About an hour before your scheduled dentist appointment, you will take the tablet. This will make you feel both relaxed and drowsy.
Since you will feel groggy, you will need to arrange for someone to drive you both to and from your appointment. You will feel calm, but you should also stay safe so make plans ahead of time.
Sedation During Your Dental Work
When you arrive at your dentist’s office, your oral sedation will likely already start taking effect. So you can anticipate feeling calm and relaxed. Some people feel so at ease that they fall asleep during their dental procedure. This is normal.
You can request sedation treatment for almost any type of dental procedure. From dental fillings to tooth extractions, you can ask your dentist if sedation can help you. If you worry about pain, your dentist will also use anesthetics that will numb affected areas of the mouth to stop any feelings of discomfort during the dental work.
Recovery from Sedation Dentistry
A dentist will not have control over oral sedation since it is administered through a tablet. This means that the effects of sedation will need to wear off on their own. It might take eight hours or up to 24 hours to fully fade. This could put a damper on your daily schedule.
But your dentist can offer Oraverse, a treatment designed to reverse the side effects of dental sedation. With this medicine, the groggy feeling will fade faster than it would on its own.
Patients can feel normal after about 20 minutes with the sensation fully leaving in about an hour. Many patients appreciate this option because it allows them to return to their usual activities much more quickly.
Ask your dentist about this treatment option and how it can minimize disruption to your everyday life while you still reap the benefits of sedation dentistry. They can also inform you of more details about how this medicine can address your unique dental goals.