General Anesthesia and Sedation

Calming Methods Used in Dental Treatments

In dentistry, for some surgical treatments, equipment and drugs with calmative are used inside or outside the mouth. Sedation is a method of calming applied by the anesthesiologist in local anesthesia, especially for pediatric patients to be comfortable during the treatment process. In general anesthesia, the patient is fully anesthetized and the operation is performed and the best results can be obtained.
Apart from these applications, physical and mental behavioral guidance, overcoming fear of doctors, using drugs against severe nausea reflex, or applying different methods to those who are allergic to local anesthetics are also within the scope of dental treatment.

What Is Sedation?

If we talk about general anesthesia and sedation application separately; We can say that sedation is performed when the patients breathe nitrous oxide gas with the help of a mask worn on their nose. The patients will feel a nice and aromatic smell while breathing nitrous oxide gas and will start to relax as they breathe. Sedation is a fast numbing method.
The patients are conscious during sedation, which is not a general anesthesia method and can be applied by the dentist. Dentists perform their treatment by applying conscious sedation. It is a milder form of deep sedation, and the patient is in cooperation with the dentist during the surgical procedure. There are no known side effects. It is applied intravenous (intravenously) in adults. While performing sedation, dose adjustment is made according to the weight of the patient. Additional doses may be given depending on the duration of the dental treatment.
Thanks to sedation, patients can overcome dentist fears more easily. The reason for this is to create a safer and more comfortable environment for the patient.

What Is General Anesthesia?

Dental treatment with general anesthesia is a treatment performed by the temporary loss of consciousness and the disappearance of sensory functions. General anesthesia; It consists of a combination of hypnotic drugs, narcotic analgesics and muscle relaxants.
General anesthesia, which is applied to prevent the patient from feeling pain, temporarily eliminates the sensation in the whole body. Including the respiratory muscles, the patient, who is temporarily paralyzed, is allowed to breathe by placing an endotracheal tube in the windpipe. One of the biggest reasons for dentist fear is this temporary paralysis.
After general anesthesia, conditions such as nausea and vomiting, headache, pain or bruising in the area where the serum is inserted, dryness and sensitivity in the throat, difficulty in swallowing, double vision, blurred vision may be encountered.

What is the Difference of Sedation and General Anesthesia?

The difference between sedation and general anesthesia is basically whether to be in deep sleep or not. In general anesthesia, the patient cannot respond to any stimulus. At the same time, respiratory support is required in case of general anesthesia, which also prevents breathing.
During sedation, the patients can respond to verbal commands or stimuli according to the level of sedation and can breathe on their own. You can get detailed information about sedation and general anesthesia applications from your dentist. In both methods, you can be treated comfortably.