While facing a dental procedure, you can feel anxious. To calm your anxiety down, fortunately, dental care has introduced different sedation techniques in dentistry Oklahoma City OK. This is to ensure that your patient feels comfortable and much more relaxed. The two most commonly used methods are – general anesthesia and conscious sedation. While both aim to alleviate discomfort and anxiety, they differ a lot in their depth of sedation and the level of patient awareness. In this article, we will explore the differences. Read on to get a better idea about these two types of sedations.
What is conscious sedation?
Conscious sedation is a moderate form of sedation that can induce a state of deep relaxation. This also allows the patient to remain conscious and responsive. This type of sedation is often administered through medications that cause drowsiness, making the patients less aware of the dental procedure and their surroundings. Common medications used in conscious sedation include benzodiazepines. This has a calming effect on the central nervous system. This type of sedation can help in reducing anxiety without rendering the patient completely unconscious. Patients can respond to verbal cues and maintain their own natural reflexes, such as coughing and swallowing.
What is general anesthesia?
In contrast to conscious sedation, general anesthesia induces a state of complete unconsciousness. This dental sedation OKC technique can make the patient entirely unaware of their surroundings and dental procedure. This is a deeper level of sedation and it is typically reserved for some of the complex and invasive dental procedures or surgeries where the movements of the patient can pose risks to the success of the procedure. Hence, for better safety, an Oklahoma City sedation dentist can administer general anesthesia through intravenous drugs or inhaled gasses.
Key differences between conscious sedation & general anesthesia
Some of the main differences between the conscious sedation and general anesthesia are:
Level of consciousness
While patients under conscious sedation remain conscious and responsive, the patients under general anesthesia are completely unconscious with no awareness. The former one helps the patient to relax and be in a state of drowsiness.
Patient cooperation
Patients can follow simple commands and cooperate with the dental team during the procedure. But patients of general anesthesia remain entirely unresponsive and the dental team has to manage their vital signs throughout the surgery.
Application and procedures
The conscious sedation is suitable for minor to moderately invasive procedures, such as root canals, extractions, and more. But when it comes to complex surgeries like orthognathic surgery, extensive implant procedures, and more, general anesthesia is important.
Conclusion
The choice between conscious sedation and general anesthesia depends completely on the nature and complexity of the procedure. When you visit one of the best dentists in OKC, he/she will diagnose your issues and suggest the best treatment of dental procedures. Based on the severity of the procedure, the dentist will decide what type of sedation will be the best one for you. By understanding the differences between these two, as a patient, you can also make some informed decisions with much more confidence.
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