Dental Articles - Edmonton

The third set of molars that grow at the back of the jaw of a person in the late teens or early twenties are called wisdom teeth and can be a useful addition to your mouth. But many times, wisdom teeth come out misaligned, impact the adjoining teeth and cause a lot of pain in your gums or jaw. In case of an impacted wisdom tooth, the removal of a wisdom tooth is necessary to alleviate the pain and protect the adjacent teeth from damage. Wisdom teeth removal requires a dose of sedation because teeth removal is generally painful. The removal of a wisdom tooth can be much more painful than any other teeth removal as it has not even erupted fully yet. Patients do get anxious by the thought of teeth removal and the pain it might cause. They even get so paranoid that they are ready to bear the pain of an impacted tooth than visit the dentist. So is it possible to remove wisdom teeth without sedation?

Why is sedation used?

Fear of the dentist is common among teens as well as in some adults who have never had procedures that include surgery, teeth removal or root canals. This makes many people freak out and drop the idea of visiting a dentist even for a general oral checkup. For such patients, sedation is used by the dentist if any big dental health issue arises. Sedation helps the patient to calm down and relax on the chair facilitating a smooth and easy procedure for the dentist while making it easy for the patient to get their problems solved in a humane manner.

Can there be any side-effects from sedation?

Sedation can have different effects depending on the sedatives used and the person they are given to. Sedation can be useful in terms of alleviating pain during the procedure and keeping the patient calm. But even dentists avoid the use of sedation until it’s crucial to send patients under to keep them calm. General anesthesia or IV sedation may have side-effects on patients and can result in complications during recovery. This can slow down the recovery process post-surgery and can make it more painful after the effects of the sedative have worn off. Although a patient can obviously not go through wisdom teeth removal without sedatives or local anesthesia as the pain can cause them to collapse (and also because it would be a scene straight out of a horror movie). So, alternative techniques can be used for patients who are already calm and composed.

What are the alternatives to sedation?

The dentist may use a local anesthetic that numbs down the surrounding tissues and muscles or use a controlled amount of nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas. The local anesthesia is used on the surrounding tissues or the jaw from which the wisdom tooth is to be removed and then the laughing gas is induced through a nasal mask. The local anesthesia helps alleviate the pain so you will only feel the vibrations and pulls on your tooth with only a slight sting and the nitrous oxide helps you to calm down for the procedure so that you don’t get nervous or anxious during the procedure. This technique is the best alternative to deep sedation dentistry and also helps decrease the intensity of pain.

If you’re a nervous one and have nightmares about dentists, don’t worry. Our dental healthcare specialists at Floss and Gloss Dental will take care of your teeth with minimal pain.

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Dentist Edmonton