What is dental treatment under sedation?
Sedation is a technique that allows a decrease in the patient's level of consciousness without affecting their ability to breathe and respond to physical stimuli and verbal commands.
How does dental treatment under sedation work?
- In venous sedation, the anesthesiologist applies medication (benzodiazepines, among others), intravenously (in a vein).
- The patient then sleeps, not experiencing the dental treatment performed.
- Therefore, the entire treatment can be carried out in one day.
- After surgery, the patient is in recovery until discharge on the same day.
Intravenous sedation is not general anesthesia, being a safer and less invasive procedure than general anesthesia.
In intravenous sedation, the anesthesiologist remains in the operating room throughout the procedure, monitoring vital functions such as blood pressure, heart rate, blood oxygenation and electrocardiogram. If compared to procedures under local anesthesia, it reduces the risks for the patient, as there is less use of local anesthetics and total control of the patient's vital signs.
What is the indication for dental treatment under sedation?
Sedation is indicated for patients who have anxiety, fear of pain, irritation with engine noise, fear of anesthesia needles, blood, among others, and for more extensive surgical procedures where there is no need for hospitalization.
For whom is dental treatment under sedation recommended? What benefits to the patient?
Sedation gives a feeling of comfort to the patient, facilitating the work of the dentist.
Any patient in good general health after careful evaluation by the anesthesiologist can undergo sedation.
Well indicated for anxious patients, who are afraid of the dentist, prolonged treatments, as it brings comfort during the procedure.
In which dental procedures can sedation be used?
It can be used in implant dentistry, oral rehabilitation, cosmetic dentistry, endodontics, wisdom tooth extraction surgery, dentistry, etc. It is also indicated to speed up the treatment for very busy people who do not want to experience the treatment.
What are the advantages of performing dental treatment under sedation?
- Sedation also decreases the release of substances into the blood (due to stress) that cause blood pressure and heart rate to increase during the procedure.
- The postoperative period becomes calmer and less painful. Intravenous pain medications, anti-inflammatories and, in some cases, antibiotics are also administered during the procedure.
Where should dental procedure with sedative be performed?
Sedation should be performed in clinics that have surgical blocks and all the appropriate equipment for the procedure. It is highly indicated in intensive treatments, using the Day Clinic concept, in which all dental procedures are generally performed in a single session. Intensive treatment associated with sedation not only accelerates the completion of the work, but mainly improves the quality of cosmetic dentistry, implant dentistry and other procedures.