Why Choose Oral Conscious Sedation vs. Nitrous (Laughing Gas)
After one of my patients had their dental procedures completed with Dr. Friedman at MOD Squad Dental under oral conscious sedation, he asked me to write an article to educate others as himself about oral conscious sedation vs. the popular offered Nitrous (Laughing Gas). Lets just say he brought me flowers the next day after conscious sedation & stated on Nitrous at his previous dentist, he felt like he wanted to hide in a corner and very out of control.
It is proven that 92% of dental patients have some form of dental fear or anxiety. This may be a fear of needles, claustrophobia, anxiety of the unknown, previously had to get several injections to get “numb” or the fact that they had a bad past experience and have no idea of the constant changing of dentistry procedures & techniques because of never returning to the dentist.
Oral Conscious Sedation
According to the DOCS, (Dental Organization for Conscious Sedation), only 1% of the dentists in the country are actually qualified in this type of conscious sedation dentistry. Oral conscious sedation is a cocktail of medications that are made into a fine powder & placed underneath the patients tongue. The patient is then asked to relax for 40-50 mins in our sedation suite. A warm blanket, cool eye cover, massage chair & noise cancellation headset create a relaxed & comfortable environment. The great pro of oral conscious sedation is the patient is able to respond to Dr. Friedman requests; open, close, or relax & then return to their sedated comfortable state.
Major benefits of oral conscious sedation;
- It enhances effectiveness of anesthetic.
- No needles.
- Safe; It is considered safer than IV sedation & general anesthesia, with low incidence & severity of adverse reactions
- It decreases gagging.
- It decreases joint and muscle soreness.
- Low cost; MOD Squad Dental & Dr. Greg Friedman offer Oral Conscious Sedation for their patients complimentary with any dental treatment. Dr. Friedman is more concerned about patient comfort vs. “padding your bill.”
- Allows more treatment to be provided in less visits and less time in the chair.
Nitrous Oxide (Laughing Gas)
- Unable to be given gas for an extended period of time compared to oral conscious sedation for long dental visits.
- Harder to control the “comfort zone” for patients to feel relaxed vs. “out of control.”
- Because of the nose being covered, patients who have difficulty breathing through their nose are unable to utilize nitrous oxide.
- If a patient tends to be claustrophobic, the covering of the nose tends to increase this feeling/fear.
- Side Effects may include; increased anxiety, severe nausea, even neurologic problems; Mental confusion is a Nitrous Oxide side effect that is almost never mentioned, yet it happens with more frequency than many would like to admit. This mental confusion occurs as a result of the nitrous oxide causing Vitamin B12 Malabsorption by depleting the Vitamin B12 stored in the body. While most people have plenty of vitamin b12 stored in their liver, those who are at high risk for vitamin b12 deficiency:
- The elderly
- Vegetarians and Vegans
- People with Pernicious Anemia
If you want more information about oral conscious sedation, phone Jess today at 858-682-2394 to discuss your sedation options.
