Surgery of any kind is traumatic and painful. That’s why physicians and dentists alike try to find other ways to deal with a problem before turning to a surgical solution. However, there are times when surgery is necessary, like when your wisdom teeth need to come out. Fortunately, there are several options available for patients who need sedation dentistry on Long Island.

Local Anesthetic

To be accurate, local anesthetic isn’t really a kind of sedation, but it is an option for tooth extractions. The dentist will simply inject the area with the same anesthetic used for cavity drillings but at a higher dose. This lets you stay alert during the surgery and afterwards, but you may have trouble speaking afterwards.

Nitrous Oxide

The way nitrous oxide works is by replacing the oxygen in your bloodstream. This causes both your body and your brain to become numb so that you’re relaxed during the procedure and you don’t notice the pain. The effects wear off quickly once the nitrous oxide stops and you can breathe pure oxygen again, making this another good choice for patients who have to drive themselves home.

Pills

With a pill-based sedation, you’ll take some sedatives and anti-anxiety drugs before the procedure so that they’ve taken full effect by the time the sedation dentistry on Long Island begins. This option is good for patients who worry about surgery or who resist the effects of weaker drugs but still want to stay awake for the procedure. The downside is that you’ll need a ride both to and from the dentist’s office.

IV Sedation

The general anesthetic used for this type of sedation is the same kind surgeons use to keep their patients under. With these drugs you’ll fall completely unconscious, and even if you don’t you’ll be too far gone to remember anything about the surgery afterwards. And for many patients, ignorance of tooth extractions really is bliss.

Sedation dentistry on Long Island comes up for tooth extractions, but it’s also a necessary part of the dental implant process. Your implant dentist needs to remove the gum that’s in the way of the implant screw, or you might need a more involved bone graft to boost the size of the bone arch that will hold the implant in place. Either way, it’s good to have options when it comes to sedation dentistry so that you’ll have the best experience possible.