SEDATION FOR ORAL SURGERY
Anxiety before a surgical procedure is not uncommon and some people completely avoid the necessary medical treatment due to fears and anxieties.
Because under pressure we have difficulty controlling the body, patients often have difficulty opening their mouths, their muscles are not relaxed and access to the surgical area is not ideal, they have difficulty controlling their movement - and as a result the chances of complication during surgery are higher.
With the help of sedation the surgical treatment becomes a more pleasant experience and of course also safer.
Trauma or precipitation from dental care in childhood is the leading cause of oral neglect. Therefore when young patients need oral surgery it is crucial to use sedation as the treatment is not noticeable and the experience is excised as positive.
The medications used during sedation can be given through the gastrointestinal tract (swallowed), respiration (laughing gas), or intravenously.
Oral drugs - These drugs have limitations caused by the fact that their effect is different for each person and the depth of sedation can not be controlled.
Inhaled drugs aka laughing gas - a slight feeling of euphoria during treatment can be achieved by inhaling nitrous oxide through a mask located on the nose throughout the operation. This sedation is effective in patients who cooperate but need "some help".
Intravenous sedation - In our office this sedation is done under the supervision of a board certified anesthesiologist and it allows patients to sleep during the entire treatment, so all that nothing is felt during the procedure.
Unlike general anesthesia where the ability to breathe is disabled (hence the need to connect to a ventilator), under sedation the patients breathes on their own (in a similar manner as we breath when we sleep at night).
The drugs for intravenous sedation have an immediate effect, the depth of sedation can be regulated at any given time, and the patient does not feel anything (not even the local anesthetic injections in the mouth!).
Safety - IV sedation for dental treatment is safe as long as the patient's medical history is fully reported, the clinic where the sedation is performed is equipped with the required equipment, and the treating staff is trained competent and skilled.