What to Expect from Your Oral Surgery

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Oral surgery sounds foreboding, and you may envision a painful procedure that takes hours to complete. In reality, however, oral surgery is simple and mostly painless. You’ll receive anesthesia before most oral surgeries, so you’ll have no pain. And while you may experience some discomfort afterward, your dentist in Katy, TX,will provide prescription or over-the-counter medication to make you comfortable.

What Happens Before Oral Surgery?

Before your dentist refers you to an oral surgeon, they’ll meet with you for a consultation. They’ll usually take X-rays and perform diagnostic tests to determine why you’re experiencing tooth or jaw pain. In some instances, you may not have pain at all, but oral surgery is still necessary to prevent problems in the future. This is usually true for wisdom tooth extraction.

You will also consult with your oral surgeon in Katy, TX, before your surgery, and they’ll take a brief medical history. They may ask you which type of sedation you prefer and whether you’re allergic to any medication. They’ll then give you a list of pre-operative instructions and schedule your oral surgery for a future date.

What to Expect on the Day of Your Oral Surgery

On the day of your surgery, you’ll want to forego breakfast. Your pre-operative instructions will likely mention the need to fast from midnight on. You’ll also want to have another licensed driver with you to take you home afterward.

If you elected sedation, you’ll be unconscious during your surgery. Afterward, your oral surgeon will provide you with a list of care instructions for your incisions, to prevent problems such as infection or dry socket.

If you think you may need oral surgery in Katy, TX, contact Chloe Dental today. We’ll book an appointment that fits your schedule and consult with you to determine whether oral surgery is a sound solution.

What are the Risks With Oral Surgery?

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Oral surgery is a tremendous and powerful tool that helps dental patients have good oral health. But it is a form of surgery and in that regard, patients should be aware that there are certain risks involved, albeit small ones. When you elect to have oral surgery in Houston and Katy, TX, your dentist will tell you everything you need to know to be healthy and strong thoughout the treatment.

Anesthesia

The first risk from oral surgery is the anesthesia itself. Since oral surgery is an invasive treatment, you may need to be put under general anesthesia. This carries small inherent risks that your anesthesiologist will explain to you in depth.

Dry Socket

Depending upon the type of oral surgery you get, you may run the risk of developing what’s known as dry socket. This is a condition where the empty tooth socket “dries up” because it has not formed a protective blood clot. The blood clot forms as part of the healing process that enables soft tissue to form over the bone and nerve endings. When that fails to happen, dry socket happens. Dry socket can usually be prevented by following post-operative instructions carefully.

Sinus Issues

If your oral surgery is happening on your upper jaw area, there is a slight risk that you could develop some minor sinus trouble afterward. This is because the sinuses are located very close to the upper wisdom teeth. This is not a common complication, but it does happen in some cases.

Oral surgery is a well-tested and very common treatment that’s performed hundreds of thousands of times all over the world. Most patients and dentists in Houston and Katy, TX agree that the benefits of oral surgery far outweigh the risks.

Sedation Dentistry: How to deal with Dental Anxiety – Katy, TX

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Being nervous during dental procedures is not uncommon, people who suffer from dental fears can develop anxiety or even dental phobia. These conditions can stem from several factors like past dental experience, fear of dental equipment, injections, pain, and discomfort. Dental phobia and anxiety can get in the way of getting the necessary treatments and procedures that can help in easing the pain and cure progressing oral diseases. Chloe Dental provides comfort and relaxation to patients to minimize or even avoid their dental distresses with the use of Sedation Dentistry.

Sedation Dentistry

It is the procedure of making a patient feel comfortable and relax during any dental procedures with the use of a sedative or medication that can be administered topically, orally, inhalation, and in injection. Depending on the patient’s need, Sedation can help in calming their nerves throughout the procedure without triggering their phobia or anxiety.

Different levels of Sedation

  • Minimal Sedation. It allows the patient to feel relaxed while wide awake.
  • Moderate Sedation. The patient is awake but cannot speak clearly, and they might not remember the entire procedure.
  • Deep Sedation. It allows the patient to be on the edge of consciousness but is still easily awakened.
  • General Anesthesia. The patient is unconscious throughout the procedure.

Sedation Dentistry Offered At Chloe Dental

Oral Sedation

As its name implies, this type of sedation is taken orally before the scheduled dental procedure to make sure that it will take effect during the treatment to secure the comfort and relaxation of the patient. It can help ease nervousness since the medication provided does not require any injections. The patient will be left on the edge of consciousness during the procedure so they might not remember the treatment.

Local Anesthesia

The dentist can also use this type of Sedation which numbs a specific area of the mouth that needs treatment. Lidocaine is the most common type of anesthesia used in numbing the gums or the cheek of the patient. By using local anesthesia, it allows the patient to be fully awake and aware of the whole procedure as it progresses. Some people develop anxiety or phobia since they do not know what occurs during the process that is why local anesthesia is useful since they will know everything that happens during the treatment without any worries.

Laughing Gas

It is a type of Sedation administered by inhalation, Nitrous Oxide or “Laughing Gas” is mixed with oxygen and administered through a mask attached to the patient’s nose. The dentist makes sure that the patient is entirely comfortable and relaxed while the gas is being inhaled, additional gas can be added to make sure that it lasts throughout the procedure. The effects quickly wear off once the mask is removed.

Dentistry has developed several options to cater to the needs of every patient, even to people with dental anxiety and phobia. To make sure that you get this treatment, inform your dentist about your worries so the dentist can evaluate what type of Sedation is best suited for you.

Looking for a safe and pain-free procedure? Book an appointment with us! Chloe Dental has caring and dedicated staff to help you feel pleasant during your dental treatments with Sedation Dentistry in Katy, TX.