Tips For Using Dental Sedation Techniques

Are you planning to use dental sedation for an upcoming appointment? If so, it helps to know the following tips to make everything goes as smooth as possible. 

Bring A Friend

If you're using dental sedation, it helps to bring along a friend for several reasons. If you are using a form of oral sedation that you take prior to your dental appointment, it can leave you in a state where you can't drive a car afterward. You'll have no choice but to find a ride to the dentist office for your appointment. Other forms of dental sedation, such as IV sedation, can leave you unable to drive on the way back home after the appointment. Both of these situations require someone to drive you to and from the appointment.

However, dental sedation is often used to ease anxiety and help you go through with an appointment. If you are having trouble simply going to see the dentist, having a friend can help keep you on track with attending your appointment. 

Know The Side Effects

It helps to fully understand what all the side effects are of taking a form a dental sedation. While oral sedation makes you feel a bit sleepy, it can also cause problems with headaches or nausea afterward. Some people even experience dry mouth or dizziness after taking the pill.

Nitrous oxide can cause you to feel really giggly, which is why the form of dental sedation is called laughing gas. Other than that, there is a very quick recovery period compared to the other forms of sedation. 

Prepare For Your Sedation

Some forms of dental sedation require more prep than others. If you are going to use IV sedation, know when you need to stop drinking or eating things prior to your appointment. You may find it best to schedule an early morning appointment so that you don't go throughout the day hungry. 

Since you will not really know what is happening for most of your appointment when under sedation, it is best to take other steps that you may not remember at the time. Remember not to put in your contacts prior to using sedation and to wear glasses instead. This will ensure that you do not wake up after a long time being under with your contacts in the entire time.

Not sure what you should be doing for your upcoming appointment? Reach out to a dentist in your area for more information.

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