Everything You Need to Know About Anaesthetic and Sedation Dentistry

The expected pain of a dentist chair can cause clients to push off their appointments. Then, as the anticipation of pain grows, clients deal with worse pain just to avoid oral surgery. This not only leads to even more invasive surgeries but is often completely unfounded.

Anaesthesia and its cousin, sedation, have come a long way since those wild west days when dentistry was preceded by the application of a bottle of bourbon. Today, dentists and patients have a wide variety of choices to not only numb pain but calm nerves as well.

This means that our dentists can work with you to make sure you feel comfortable, empowering you to take care of any oral problems with minimal nerves.

Let’s go over the options for anaesthesia and sedation to help you understand how we can help you.

Local Anaesthesia

This anaesthetic is very common, and if you’ve been in the dentist’s chair chances are you’ve experienced it at some point. The ‘local’ in local anaesthesia refers to its application and effect. The anaesthetic is applied in one area of your mouth, and its effects are constrained to that area.

Local anaesthetics can be applied via two, different methods:

  • Topical

  • Injection

Often, we use the two in conjunction. First, a topical ointment is applied to an area to numb it in preparation for a needle, then the stronger anaesthetic is injected.

Side effects

The side effects for local anaesthetics in your mouth are few. Rarely, they can cause allergic reactions.

Side effects include:

  • Slack mouth muscles that can interfere with speech and cause drooling until the anaesthetic has worn off.

  • A metallic taste in your mouth

Used for:

  • Fillings

  • Stitches

  • Root Canals

Sedation

Typically among dentists, sedation is used to calm anxious patients. This can include little children who get nervous and move around too much or those who have developed a fear of dentists that cause excessive discomfort in the office. Sedation can range from light, which simply calms a patient down, to heavy, where a patient is slightly responsive but is largely unaware of the procedure.

Side effects

Because sedation effects your whole body, it has a greater effect on your body.

Common side effects include:

  • Nausea

  • Drowsiness

  • Vomiting

  • Trouble waking

  • Cardiorespiratory depression

  • May require you forgo driving for a few hours

Used for:

  • Operations with anxious patients

  • Removing wisdom teeth

  • Long operations

  • Patients who are resistant to local anaesthetics

General Anaesthesia

Much like heavy sedation, general anaesthesia will leave patients completely unaware of the operation as it unfolds. Essentially, general anaesthesia puts patients into a medically-induced coma. As a result of it’s increased strength, it can have more serious side effects. Because heavy sedation and general anaesthesia are so similar, they are often both referred to as ‘sleep dentistry.’

Side effects

  • Nausea

  • Dry mouth

  • Dizziness

  • Confusion

  • May require you forgo driving for a few hours

Used for:

  • Long operations, like pulling multiple teeth

  • Operations with anxious patients

Weighing the Benefits of Sleep Dentistry for You and Your Family

On the surface, sleep dentistry looks easy and a lot more pleasant than regular dentistry. After all, you simply go in, fall asleep and wake up with healthy teeth. However, with the wide array of anaesthetic available, it’s important to match your needs and your operation to the right anaesthetic.

But, if your fear of dentistry is keeping you from pursuing the work you need to have done in your mouth, then open the conversation with your dentist. Just make sure to let them know why you want it (for example those who are afraid of needles will want to avoid any IV sedation) and if you have any allergies.

Now that you have all the facts, you can make the right decision for you.

Jordana Gagnon