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Apart from a dental checkup or teeth whitening services, most of the other intensive dental treatments you get from a dentist require some level of sedation. In addition to alleviating pain during a dental procedure, dental sedation also plays three additional roles. 

The other roles of dental sedation include: reducing anxiety for people who suffer from Dentophobia, minimizing the level of discomfort while a dentist conducts a procedure, preventing gag reflexes in patients during a dental procedure. However, there are several different types of dental sedation options a dentist can administer to a patient. In most cases, the type of dental sedation applied depends on a patient's level of anxiety and the intensity of the dental procedure.

With that in mind, here are the three most common dental sedation options and what they entail for a patient.

Intravenous Dental Sedation

This type of dental sedation is also referred to as IV dental sedation. Intravenous dental sedation involves inserting an IV line directly into a patient's blood via a vein. Within a few seconds of having the IV inserted, a patient usually falls asleep, and the dentists can then begin the procedure. It is essential to note that the amount of sedative going into your blood is closely monitored during the IV dental sedation to ensure your vital signs do not drop below the recommended levels. As a result, a dental assistant will closely monitor and balance the amount of sedative being introduced into your blood based on your vital signs readings, such as heart rate.

Intravenous dental sedation is an ideal option for people who have extreme Dentophobia or anxiety because the patient doesn't have to witness the procedure. Additionally, IV sedation makes it easier for dentists to complete a dental procedure on a Dentophobic patient because they won't have to contend with a patient's anxiety attacks during the procedure. However, it is essential to note that intravenous sedation usually lasts for a while after completing the dental procedure. Primarily you will experience a bit of drowsiness after an IV dental sedation. Thus, it is advisable to have someone pick you up and drive you home from the dentist's office because you will not be in a position to go home on your own.

Oral Dental Sedation

Unlike IV dental sedation, this option gets administered by having the patient swallow a sedative tablet. However, this is no ordinary sedative you can buy over the counter. Thus, a dentist will have to prescribe the right brand and dose of the sedative you need to take. Additionally, patients are often advised not to eat anything before taking the sedative tablet because once the oral sedation immobilizes you, it is quite possible to vomit during the dental procedure due to gaging.

Oral Dental sedation is often recommended for patients who may have allergic reactions with IV sedation. Nonetheless, this type of sedation is often used when a patient is undergoing medium or extremely invasive dental procedures. However, because the oral sedative administered is powerful, your vitals will also need to be monitored continuously during the dental procedure.

Once again, it would be best if you had someone to take you home after the dental procedure because oral dental sedation leaves patients feeling drowsy for a while. Thus, you will not be back to your usual self for a few hours before the oral sedative completely wears off your system.

Inhalation Sedation

This type of sedation is the most common and, quite frankly, everyone's favorite sedation. You may know it as laughing gas. Laughing gas is generally nitrous oxide, and it is a less intensive sedative compared to the others. As a result, this type of dental sedation doesn't always knock you out cold. In some instances, it just provides a calm and euphoric semi-conscious state in a patient. The great benefit of using inhalation dental sedation is that it wears out of your system quickly. As a result, after the dental procedure is complete, you can even drive yourself home or go back to work.

For more information about dental sedation, contact a local dental office near you to learn more.