Whenever people need to get their teeth fixed or have an oral procedure, they think of going to their local dentist. But aside from their local dentist, there is actually another type of dentist, a sedation dentist. In this article, it will be explained what a sedation dentist is, and what their job is.
Aside from the common dental procedures such as oral prophylaxis or whitening treatments, sedation dentists specialize in providing medical sedation to their patients. Due to the use of medicine in the treatment, not all dentists are qualified to give sedation, thus those qualified are called sedation dentists. Sedation dentists may perform dental treatments on patients who have been administered nitrous oxide, intravenous sedation commonly known as deep sedation, or even general anesthesia.
The main job of a sedation dentist is to apply sedative medication to patients in order to provide them with ease and comfort throughout the dental procedure that they will be undergoing. Through this sedative, the patient will be able to feel at ease with their dental phobia, and be able to overcome their feeling of anxiety. In the end, the patient will be able to tolerate the dental procedure with much more comfort than as without any administered dental sedation.
Sedation Dentists possess three main duties throughout any dental procedure wherein dental sedation is opted. These duties are divided based on the procedural steps: before the procedure, during the sedation procedure, and after the procedure.
During the first step, the sedation dentist must evaluate whether the patient will need to undergo sedation or not. In order to do this, the dentist will review the patient’s medical history. Upon reviewing the records, the appropriate level of sedation will be selected to accompany the dental procedure. The sedation dentist will then inform the patient regarding the details of the sedation such as its advantages and disadvantages. Once the patient agrees, they will be asked to sign a consent form, then the sedation dentist will proceed to the preparation of the sedative to be used, and in checking the vitals of the patient along with preparing multiple safety measures.
During the second step, the sedative is continuously administered by the dentist until the required level of sedation is reached. Throughout the sedation and dental procedure, the dentist will monitor the vital signs of the patient to ensure patient safety.
For the third and last step, after the sedation and dental procedure, the patient will be asked to remain in the office for a while in order to recover from the sedation. If the sedation given to the patient is strong, a family member should be there to assist the patient home to further ensure the patient’s safety.
Finding the right sedation dentist is not difficult. Depending on the patient’s background, choosing the best sedation dentist is of utmost importance. If the patient is prone to dental anxiety and phobia, then a much more experienced sedation dentist might be more appropriate. But if the patient is not particular, any licensed sedation dentist would be more than okay. Because at the end of the day, all sedation dentists will assure their patients in providing them with the optimum level of relaxation and comfort throughout their dental procedure, with the least risk possible.
