I have to get my wisdom teeth out and I’m dreading it. Everyone has been sharing all these horror stories with me and I’m pretty freaked. Of course the dentist made it sound pain-free with oral sedation. But I don’t have a high pain tolerance. Will I feel it? How much is it really going to hurt? I’m tempted to call around and find someone that will put me to sleep so I don’t have to worry about it.

– Michael in Kansas

Michael,

Don’t you love how everyone feels the need to tell you how they had a friend, sister, or cousin that had a traumatic experience! Seriously, you don’t need to get worked up about it. For the majority of patients, oral sedation works wonderfully for teeth extractions. You won’t be “knocked out” like you would be under general anesthesia at the hospital. But you really will be indifferent to what is going on. You will be conscious which means you will be breathing normally and your protective reflexes will be completely functional. Yet you will likely remember nothing about the appointment. Most patients explain it like you were asleep. It will feel like no time has passed and you just woke up.

You will also be numbed during the procedure. So you won’t feel anything. If anything, you may feel some pressure during the treatment, but with the sedation dentistry, you won’t remember it. You really won’t care what is going on.

Also, a trained staff member will accompany the dentist throughout the procedure to monitor your vitals and make sure everything is going well. You will also need to arrange transportation to and from the appointment because with the medication, you won’t be able to drive. Sedation caters to cowards and is used routinely for extraction appointments.

After the sedation medication wears off, you need to follow the recommendations of the dentist. He or she will likely prescribe some pain medication for several days after the appointment to manage any discomfort from the surgery. Everyone is different, so just be sure to communicate with the dentist after the appointment if anything seems intolerable.

To sum it up, yes, the extraction appointment will be pain-free!

This post is sponsored by Atlanta cosmetic dentist Flax Dental.