Possible Side Effects and other Sedation / Sleep Dentistry Questions
With the medications available today, anesthesia can be safely administered with minimal risk and few side effects.
Some of basic requirements for patients having anesthesia:
- A general good and stable health (questions about specific medical conditions will be discussed with your doctor)
- No evidence of active pulmonary infection (chest cold), fever, or influenza
- Maintaining a fasting state as instructed 8 hours prior to the procedure
Patients who are extremely anxious about visiting the dentist, have a resistance to numbing medication, or have avoided the dentist time and time again because of fear may want to consider sedation dentistry.
Some patients opt to use sedation dentistry simply because they need hours of dental work and want a comfortable, convenient way to get through it. With sedation, multiple dental treatments that would normally require several visits can be completed in one sitting.
How long will I be sedated?
Your sedation will last throughout the length of your appointment and often several hours following. Most patients will be sedated from 2 – 6 hours.
You should plan to take the day off work, and should be able to return to work the following day.
Will I experience any side effects of dental sedation?
Some patients may experience slight nausea following treatment, which can usually be alleviated with food and drink.
You will feel drowsy before, during and after your treatment, and because the effects of oral sedation may take some time to fully wear off, your Houston dentist recommends that you bring someone to drive you home and that you refrain from driving until the following day.
Can I use sedation dentistry for a routine cleaning?
You can use sedation dentistry for a variety of dental procedures, even a routine cleaning.
Call our Houston office at 713-807-9877 for more information about our sleep dentistry options.
Please note: A responsible adult must accompany the patient home after the sedation dentistry procedure and remain with them throughout the evening