Q: Is dental anesthesia safe?
A: The use of anesthesia to sedate dental patients is a safe, effective practice that can ease anxiety and make the experience in the dentist's chair more comfortable. Dentists are trained for this and use various types of sedation safely on millions of patients every year. Here are some of the techniques they might bring to bear when treating you:
- Novocain is a local anesthetic, which means it numbs the immediate area of treatment. The dentist will inject it into the treatment area by needle and will use it for procedures like cleaning out and filling a cavity, treating an infected gum area or preparing teeth for crowns.
- Topical anesthesia is applied generally with a swab and kills pain on skin surface.
- Nitrous oxide is a gas, sometimes called "laughing gas," that creates a feeling of euphoria. You will be fully conscious under its effect.
- More complicated procedures may call for general anesthesia, which is the use of drugs that will make you temporarily unconscious. Newer general anesthetics will leave you conscious but with no memory of the procedure.
The American Dental Association has guidelines for the use of anesthesia. Talk with your dentist about them.
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