Sedation Dentistry

Each year, millions of people in the U.S. keep away from making a needed visit to the dentist because of dental anxiety. If you get the jitters each time you think of a dentist, you are not alone. The Green Dental Care team in Parker, CO, understands your concerns, which is why they provide conscious sedation to ease any fear or pain that you may have. This article gives you an overview of what you need to know about conscious sedation dentistry in Parker, CO.

What Is Conscious Sedation?

Dr. Chris Green explains that conscious sedation refers to the ways through which a dental patient who panics or becomes anxious during a needed procedure can be helped to relax and go through that procedure comfortably.

The technique is called conscious sedation because you remain responsive throughout the procedure. The medication simply helps you to relax. This is different from general anesthesia that makes you unconscious until the medication wears off, or its effects are reversed by your Parker, CO dentist at the end of the procedure.

What Dental Procedures Can Conscious Sedation Be Used For?

Green Dental Care can offer conscious sedation dentistry for patients who feel anxious or have a low pain threshold yet they need to undergo procedures like dental cleanings, cavity treatment, root canals and many other procedures. Discuss your dental fears with Dr. Chris Green, and he will determine your suitability for conscious sedation dentistry.

How Are the Sedatives Administered?

The drugs used during conscious sedation dentistry can be administered in a variety of ways depending on the specific circumstances of a patient. For example, you may simply inhale the sedative through a mask placed on your face. Alternatively, the dentist in Parker, CO, may give you a pill that you take before your appointment. Some sedatives can be administered by giving you a shot in your arm or butt. If the situation warrants, Dr. Chris Green can also administer the sedative intravenously (using an IV).

How Long Do the Drugs Take to Kick In?

The mode of administration used has a bearing on how long you will have to wait before you start feeling the effects of the conscious sedation drugs that you have been given.

For example, sedatives administered orally could take anywhere between 30-60 minutes after ingestion while those given through an IV line kick in almost immediately. Dr. Chris Green will explain to you how long the sedative you receive will take to kick in before your procedure. Be assured that the professionals at Green Dental Care will not start the dental procedure until they are certain that the sedation is working as expected.

How Quickly Does Conscious Sedation Wear Off?

One key advantage of conscious sedation over general anesthesia is that conscious sedation wears off quickly. So, most people are able to go back home on their own. However, dentists in Parker, CO usually take the precaution of asking patients who undergo sedation dentistry to have a designated driver. The sedation usually wears off in an hour or so, but some side effects, such as feeling sluggish, could last the rest of the day.

What Are the Stages of Conscious Sedation?

Your Parker, CO dentist determine the degree to which you will be sedated after talking to you about your dental anxiety and other related factors. Three distinct stages of sedation exist.

The first is mild conscious sedation. This minimal sedation is also called anxiolysis. When you are minimally sedated, you become relaxed but remain fully aware of your surroundings and are responsive.

The second degree of sedation is moderate sedation. In this stage, you will be sleepy and may lose consciousness, but are still responsive to some extent.

Deep conscious sedation is a stage of sedation in which you fall asleep once the medication kicks in, and you will be unresponsive most of the time. This stage of conscious sedation is suitable for people with intense dental phobias.

Can I Develop Complications?

Like any other medicine, conscious sedation also carries some risks, even if it is considered safe. To minimize these risks, Dr. Chris Green will conduct a detailed evaluation of your overall health before deciding to administer conscious sedation.

It is therefore helpful for you to give the Parker, CO dentist your medical history as well as information about any medication and supplements that you are taking. This information will help Dr. Chris Green to design an appropriate plan for the sedation dentistry procedure. He may postpone the treatment if he discovers any circumstance, such as pregnancy, which elevates the risks of undergoing sedation.

If you are afraid, apprehensive or anxious, let Dr. Chris Green know. Your Green Dental Care team will use conscious sedation to help you keep your attention focused on your dental health rather than on the discomfort that you experience each time you undergo a dental procedure.

Sedation Pre Op and Post Op Instructions

Once you decide to undergo oral conscious sedation at Green Dental Care in Parker, CO, we will give you oral medication before your appointment, and this medication will put you in a dream-like state in which you will be very relaxed throughout your dental procedure. You will have no recollection of the procedure, and the oral sedation medication is very safe. Read on and learn what Dr. Chris Green will explain to you as the sedation pre-op and post-op instructions.

Sedation Pre-Op Instructions

Smoking. The bodies of people who smoke cigarettes are more resistant to the sedative, so you should stop smoking until after your dental procedure.

Alcohol and Other Drugs. It is also advisable for you to refrain from taking any alcohol or other street drugs, such as marijuana, within 24 hours before your dental procedure. Alcohol and drugs slow down the effectiveness of the sedative you will be given, so it is best to avoid these substances.

Caffeine, Food, and Drinks. You should also avoid eating or drinking anything, especially caffeinated drinks, 8 hours before your dental procedure under a sedative. Anything in the stomach delays how soon the sedative can kick in. Dentists in Parker, CO also explain that there is an increased risk that you will throw up during the dental procedure if you eat or drink anything within 8 hours of the procedure.

Medications. Dr. Chris Green urges patients to reveal what medication they are currently taking so that he can review that medication and assess how it will interact with the oral sedative. The sedation dentistry procedure may be put on hold if you are taking any medication other than that for diabetes or hypertension. If you take sleeping aids or any medication that induces sleep or makes you drowsy, then you will need to stop taking such medication the night before the sedation dentistry procedure. Any medication that you have been cleared to take on the morning of the dental procedure should be taken with a little water so that your stomach is empty at the time of the procedure.

Pregnancy. If you are pregnant, then Dr. Chris Green will not sedate you because it may not be safe for you and your unborn baby.

Dressing. Green Dental Care recommends that you wear comfortable clothing on the day you are coming in for your sedation dentistry procedure. Avoid wearing jewelry or any other accessory that could get in the way during the procedure.

Contact Lenses. People who wear contact lenses should use their glasses instead of on the day of the procedure. You will be sleepy, so it isn’t advisable for that to happen while your contact lenses are in place.

Driving. Ask a family member or a friend to drive you to your dental appointment, and then drive you back home. The sedative may take a few hours to wear off, so it isn’t safe for you to drive or be alone during this time.

Sedation Post-Op Instructions

Driving. As already mentioned, it isn’t safe for you to drive in the first 24 hours after your sedation dentistry procedure, so avoid sitting behind the wheel during this time.

Operating Equipment and Machinery. Parker, CO dentists also recommend that you don’t operate any machinery or hazardous devices until a minimum of 24 hours has elapsed after the sedation dentistry procedure.

No Heavy Lifting. In the same vein, it isn’t advisable to engage in any heavy lifting in the first 24 hours after you have undergone a dental procedure in which sedatives were used.

No Important Decisions. Put off making any important decisions in the first 24 hours from the time of your dental procedure. You may not be in the best state of mind to think clearly and make the right decisions within this time window.

No Stairs. Do not climb any stairs in the first 24 hours after the sedation dentistry procedure at Green Dental Care. You risk falling and hurting yourself if you attempt such an exercise. Stay in a room downstairs if you live in a storied house.

No Staying Alone During the First 24 Hours. As already mentioned, it is unsafe for you to be alone during the first 24 hours because you may still be groggy after your dental procedure. Ask the companion who drove you to Green Dental Care in Parker, CO, to stay and monitor you during this time. The staff at the dental practice will also give your companion a printed copy of these instructions so that he or she knows what is or isn’t permitted before and after your procedure.

Your safety is our number one concern, so get in touch with Dr. Chris Green if you have any questions. Also, get a printed copy of these instructions and follow them so that your procedure goes without a hitch!