If you are only having one or two dental implants installed, a general anesthetic might not be necessary. With a good dentist in Surrey BC, a local anesthetic or “freezing” should be enough to eliminate any pain associated with the procedure. If you’re the kind of person whose anxiety often prevents you from having dental work, however, there are various types of dental sedation that can be used to keep you comfortable while the implants are put in place.

Here are the sedation options to consider when you know what dental implants procedure you’re having.

General Anesthetic

Otherwise known as sleep dentistry, a general anesthetic is viable for patients who need a bone graft before having dental implants. Harvesting bone from elsewhere in your body and attaching it to your jawbone can be fairly invasive surgery, so most dentists recommend full anesthesia for this. This process usually requires a hospital or clinic admission, at least for the day, and you’ll need someone to bring you to the venue and take you home afterwards.

In some cases, the surgeon will recommend keeping you in the hospital overnight or longer to monitor the harvest site. While this can contribute significantly to the cost of dental implants in BC, the good news is that under certain circumstances the bone graft surgery and the hospital stay could be covered by your provincial health insurance. A good dentist in Surrey BC will be able to help you determine what might be covered and what you—or your private insurance—will have to pay for.

Conscious or IV Sedation

Patients with dental phobias and those who have high levels of anxiety could benefit from conscious sedation, even if they don’t need a full general anesthetic. A carefully-controlled quantity of sedative is administered directly into your veins during the procedure, while your heart rate and oxygen levels are monitored by an anesthetist. With this option, you’ll become drowsy and hover between sleep and wakefulness, but will remain alert enough to respond to instructions during the treatment and won’t remember most of it. This process can be used with most types of dental implants, including full sets, All-on-4 and All-on-6.

Oral Sedation

As with conscious sedation, oral sedation is a lighter type of sedation that’s most often used in combination with a local anesthetic. It’s very helpful for most patients need help managing anxiety about the procedure, and it’s ideal for anyone getting implant or wisdom teeth extraction. Before starting the dental implants procedure, your dentist administers a drug in the form of a tablet, which makes you feel relaxed and slightly drowsy.

Some of the drugs commonly used for this include Midazolam, Propofol, Ketamine and Dexmedetomidine, and the choice of drug will depend on your state of health and any other medications. Oral sedation is often an ideal choice for patients suffering from epilepsy, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and additional conditions.

Whatever your circumstances, our dentists will be able to offer you a sedation option to help you through the dental implants procedure.

For more information and help in determining the right dental sedation options for you, please book an appointment today to discuss your situation with a good dentist in Surrey BC.