When it comes to taking out your wisdom teeth, many people associate the procedure with pain and discomfort, which often leads to anxiety. Sedation dentistry in Rocky Mountain House can help! Sedation is the best way to help patients feel calm and relaxed during the stressful experience of wisdom teeth removal. Understanding the sedation options available to you as a patient can help ease any anxiety you may be feeling about your treatment, whether you’re visiting for your consultation or planning your surgery.
Reasons Why Wisdom Teeth Often Need to be Extracted
Wisdom teeth, or third molars, are the last teeth to come in, typically in your late teens or early twenties. There is no precise marker of when someone becomes an adult, but most adults will have their last molars or wisdom teeth, as impacted teeth. Occasionally, wisdom teeth can grow in nicely without any issues, but in most circumstances, they can:
- Grow at an angle, pushing against other teeth.
- Remain stuck under the gums (impacted teeth).
- Causes swelling, pain, and even infections.
- Causes crowding and misalignment of your smile.
If any of these occur, your dentist will likely suggest tooth extraction with sedation to lessen the stress or discomfort of the surgical procedure.
How Can Sedation Dentistry Reduce Anxiety?
It’s natural to be nervous prior to oral surgery, but sedation dentistry takes the edge off. Sedation is assisted by:
- Calming nerves beforehand and throughout the procedure.
- Making time seem as if it slips quickly by.
- Decreasing awareness of the procedure itself.
- Enabling your dentist to finish treatment more quickly.
For particularly nervous patients, sedation is usually the key to making their experience less daunting.
What Sedation Options Are Available for Oral Surgery?
Various patients require varying degrees of comfort. The following are the most common oral surgery sedation options you will be presented with during a wisdom tooth removal:
- Oral Sedation (Pills): Taken before surgery, it reduces anxiety while leaving you awake and alert.
- Nitrous Oxide (Laughing Gas): A light option that calms you during treatment. Its effects subside immediately after surgery.
- IV Sedation for Tooth Surgery: A deeper state of relaxation in which a drug is administered through an intravenous line. You might not remember much of the procedure and will require someone to drive you home after the procedure.
Your dentist will recommend the best option based on your medical history and how complicated the withdrawal of teeth is.
What Happens During a Sedated Wisdom Tooth Extraction?
Under normal circumstances, it is the method of Tooth Extraction through the action of sedation:
- Pre-Surgery: Talk to your dentist about the sedation options so that some instructions can be given. For example, if you are going to receive an IV, do not eat or drink anything.
- During surgery: Relax completely with your unconsciousness. Depending on the sedative effect, you may not have any memory of the procedure.
- After Surgery: Keep monitoring until the sedation wears off, then recovery instructions will follow to prevent swelling and ensure healing at home.
Who Can Benefit from Sedation Dentistry?
Sedation is often beneficial for patients who:
- You are afraid or nervous about visiting the dentist.
- Have an excessively powerful gag reflex.
- Requires more than one tooth to be removed at the same time.
- Need surgical procedures that are beyond the routine.
- Have difficulty staying still for dental treatment.
If you fit into any of these groups, discussing sedation with a dentist near you could be the way to go for your comfort and peace of mind.
Ready for a Stress-Free Wisdom Tooth Removal? Visit Aspen Dental Clinic
We know at Aspen Dental Clinic that the extraction of wisdom teeth can be challenging, but we do have a solution for the utilization of sedation in order to render your experience stress-free and painless. Whether you choose gentle oral options or IV treatment, we’ll make sure you understand what will happen at each stage.
Fear should not keep you from the care your smile needs. Book your appointment today with Aspen Dental Clinic in Rocky Mountain House and find out how sedation can simplify your wisdom tooth removal more than you ever thought possible. Take the first step towards a peaceful, confident smile.
