Tag Archives: nitrous oxide

Can You Get Sick from Dental Sedation?

Hi,

I started seeing a gentle dentist for my dental anxiety. Sedation is supposed to calm your nerves, but I’m worried about getting it at my upcoming dentist’s appointment. I’ve heard it causes nausea, and the painkillers you get afterwards can cause drowsiness. Those two side-effects mixed together is a recipe for disaster. I’ve never had any adverse reactions to medications before, but I’m still worried. Is choking on your own vomit a risk after dental sedation? Or am I overthinking this?

Samira, Sterling, Colorado

 

Hi there Samira,

There are different levels of sedation and medication a dentist can provide.

The first is nitrous oxide, Also known as laughing gas. This is the sedation of choice for gentle dentists, because it works fast and wears off quickly afterwards, before you even leave the office. You may experience some nausea afterwards, but not necessarily vomiting. Most procedures using nitrous are relatively short, but the longer you are under sedation, however, the amount of nausea you may experience increases. To reduce this risk, don’t eat before your appointment.

The second is oral conscious sedation (OCS): This method uses nitrous oxide and an oral medication (like a sedative, anti-anxiety medication, or anti-histamine) prescribed by your dentist. The type of medication prescribed will depend on your dentist’s personal preference and which one best suits your needs; for instance, at Dr. Roper’s office, he prescribes Triazolam, a safe method of oral sedation.

It’s also recommended you have someone take you to your appointment and check in with you for a few hours after the appointment. Again, to combat nausea, your dentist will schedule you for a morning appointment, and instruct you to not eat the night before or morning of your appointment. Even with this stronger sedation, no cases of asphyxiation during sleep have occurred, so please do not worry.

In summation, nausea is a common side-effect of sedation, but vomiting is not. Talk to your doctor about your fears, and they should be able to give you advice on how to minimize your experience with side-effects.

This blog post is brought to you by Gilbert sedation dentist, Dr. Matthew Roper.

Scared of Sedation Because of News Stories

I finally talked myself into going to the dentist by using sedation (It will be my first time in sixteen years) and now I keep seeing all these news stories about patients being sexually assaulted.  Now I’m afraid to go.

Cyndy M. – New Jersey

Cyndy,

I understand you’re frightened. These type of stories are very scary.  Though it may not mean much to you now, I will tell you that these type cases are very rare. Most dentists ( and their staff) went into the field in orderto help people. They have no interest in doing harm.

Sedation is a great way to get your dental care done, pain free, especially  if you have dental anxiety. Generally, dentists have someone else in the room with them during sedation for their own protection. That way they can’t be accused of anything.

However, one thing you can do to put your mind at ease is to bring a friend.  Talk to the dentist about your concern. They’ll likely be able to accomdate your friend to be there with you.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.

Why can’t I get numb?

I’ve been to the dentist twice to get a procedure done, but he hasn’t been able to get me numb.  We end up abandoning the procedure.  What’s the deal?

Danny B. – New Jersey

Danny,

It’s possible that you have some form of dental anxiety, even without realizing it.  That can cause your body to burn up the anesthetic before it has a chance to really take effect.

Sometimes using something as simple as nitrous oxide will relax you enough for the numbing medicine to take effect.  If that doesn’t work, you’ll need a stronger type of dental sedation.

I would go to a sedation dentist and let them know what is going on. You will likely have your first completely pain free dental appointment, which should really help with that anxiety.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.

Problems with novacain

I have had dental problems my whole life, because novacain doesn’t always work for me. This has caused some really painful dental appointments. After a while I just stopped going. I realize now that I’m older that I made a bad decision, because that has made for a ton of dental issues. I need to get at least five teeth pulled. However, I’ll want to immediately get dental implants. I’m not worried about the implants because I know they’ll knock me out for that. What terrifies me is the pulling. Do I have any other options than novacain?

Brenda P.- from Idaho

Brenda,

Yes, there is a really good solution for you. Many dentists aren’t aware of this, but dental anxiety can lead to Novocaine resistance. I think the anxiety tends to “burn off” the Novocaine. Look for a dentist who uses either nitrous oxide or oral sedatives. The nitrous oxide will relax you enough that the Novocaine will work. An oral sedative will put you in a sleep like state to relax you throughout the appointment. At our office we call this sleep dentistry. Our fearful patients have found this to be a fantastic solution for them.

This blog is brought to you by Gilbert Dentist Dr. Matt Roper.