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Are You Sedated When Putting in Dental Implants?

Whether you’ve lost a tooth from an accident, tooth decay or just time, putting in dental implants can help restore your smile.

Dental implants aren’t only good for appearances, though. They also help maintain healthy gums and teeth, and help prevent problems that can arise from having missing teeth over time.

Sedation and Dental Implants

Most oral surgeries and dental procedures involve sedation. The level of sedation and type of anesthesia that will be used differs depending on your dentist or oral surgeon’s preferences, the invasiveness of the procedure, and your personal comfort level.

Because dental implants are quite invasive, sedation is recommended.

Sedation in dentistry and oral surgery comes in various levels. These levels include:

  • Local anesthesia – by a numbing shot or topical gel, eliminates sensation and pain in one small area of the body, patient is completely awake but may feel numbness and tingling at the site of the anesthesia
  • Minimal sedation – achieved with laughing gas, the patient is relaxed but awake
  • Moderate sedation – done by oral sedation using a pill, a deeper level of sedation where patients might have trouble remembering the procedure
  • Deep sedation – typically achieved with an IV, a sleeplike state where a patient can still be easily awakened
  • General anesthesia – also with an IV, the patient is completely unconscious

While some level of sedation is generally used for putting in dental implants, patients are not usually completely unconscious with general anesthesia.

Determining Sedation Levels

Your oral surgeon should meet with you before the procedure and discuss sedation options. When only one of two dental implants are going in, minimal to moderate sedation is typically sufficient. If you have severe dental phobia or other anxieties, a deeper form of sedation might be appropriate. Be sure to discuss your concerns with your dentist or oral surgeon and make them aware of your comfort level.

For more extensive dental implant surgeries, IV sedation is the preferred method to minimize pain and anxiety. Getting a full set of dental implants is fairly invasive and can take a long time in the chair. IV sedation helps get more implants done at one time instead of having to spread it out over multiple appointments. Not only will IV sedation help you feel more comfortable, but it will also save you the extra time and money of having to come back for multiple appointments.

Oral & Facial Surgery of Utah is Your Dental Implant Expert

It’s normal to feel anxiety when considering the possibility of putting in dental implants. The highly specialized team at Oral & Facial Surgery of Utah is here to put your mind at ease. Our board-certified oral surgeons are skilled in dental implant insertion, and our goal is to make you feel as comfortable as possible before, during, and after your procedure.

We’d love to talk to you about sedation options and our recommendations while developing a treatment plan that’s right for you. We have offices in Cottonwood Heights, South Jordan, and Tooele, Utah. Call us today to schedule your free consultation!

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