Sedative Sensations: How Dental Sedation Feels

As part of your treatment, you may want to add sedation dentistry. The field has many sedatives that could keep you calm during a procedure. Still, you likely want to know how dental sedation feels first; that would help you choose. The good news is that your local sedation dentist can provide the answers you need. To that end, here’s a primer on sedation dentistry, how its sedatives feel, and how to know if you qualify for it.

Wait, What’s Sedation Dentistry?

To know how dental sedation feels, you must first know the basics of sedation dentistry. You won’t grasp the provided details otherwise.

In essence, sedation dentistry is a set of ways to relax patients for dental work. It mainly uses medicines to treat a person’s dental anxiety, ensuring a smoother and easier treatment process. These medicines can include varied sedatives, so you may take one or several drugs on the day of your appointment.

How Does Dental Sedation Feel?

While patients can have unique reactions to sedatives, dental sedation’s effects often depend on the type performed. Consider how the two most common kinds feel as described below:

Nitrous Oxide Sedation

Nitrous oxide sedation applies nitrous oxide or “laughing gas” to patients. As such, it often causes giddiness, euphoria, and even cases of “the giggles.” Some even report feeling tingling sensations in their limbs. Regardless, the “laughing gas” should leave you conscious; you’ll be self-aware enough to respond to the dentist’s instructions.

Nitrous oxide quickly exits your body once you stop breathing it. In other words, its effects will fade when you breathe normal air for a few minutes.

Oral Conscious Sedation

Oral conscious sedation causes a deeper calm than nitrous oxide does. In fact, the pill it has you take leaves most patients feeling “Zen” or at peace. The upside is that you’ll still be conscious and alert; you can respond to dentist instructions as needed.

Unlike nitrous oxide, oral conscious sedation will leave you groggy afterward. You’ll likely need to wait a few hours before its effects wear off.

How Do You Qualify for It?

Most adults can qualify for all kinds of dental sedation; the requirements aren’t strict. Still, the best candidates tend to have one (or more) of the following:

• Trauma from previous dental experiences
• Mild-to-intense dental anxiety or phobia
• An overly-active gag reflex
• Struggles with sitting still

Whatever sedative you get, you should feel fine under dental sedation. Learn what else to expect from it by seeing your dental provider!

About the Author

Dr. Jeffrey F. Hermen is an excellent dentist in Oklahoma City, OK, having earned his DDS from the OU College of Dentistry. He’s been in the field for over thirty years and offers truly comprehensive dental care! With him and his team, you can expect preventive, cosmetic, and restorative treatments that meet your smile’s unique needs. Today, Dr. Hermen practices at his self-titled clinic and is reachable on his website and by phone at (405)-621-2100.