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Sedation Dentistry Aftercare – Grapevine, TX

Planning for After the Procedure

Sedation dentistry is an excellent option for patients with dental anxiety, and it can help you stay comfortable during a variety of procedures and oral surgeries. However, you need to consider that you’ll often need extra time afterward to fully recover. At Smiles by Martin, Dr. Martin will make sure you have all the information you need to prepare for a full recovery with our tips for sedation dentistry aftercare in Grapevine. Here’s what you need to know about the recovery process for each of the different kinds of sedation we offer.

Nitrous Oxide Dental Sedation Recovery

Relaxing woman after sedation dentistry

One of the advantages of nitrous oxide is that its effects wear off very quickly once the gas has been removed. After a few minutes of waiting in our dental office, you’ll be able to drive yourself home or back to work. Some patients might feel nauseous afterward, which is why we recommend eating only light meals before receiving this type of sedation. (In general, avoid eating anything heavy for at least three hours prior to the procedure.) Other possible side effects include dizziness or headaches; we might offer some water or some oxygen to help the recovery process along.

Dental Oral Sedation Recovery

Patient receiving nitrous dental oxide sedation

This type of sedation is administered in pill form. The pill is taken at a predetermined time before your visit, and it’ll last for several hours; you’ll need someone to drive you to and from the dentist in Grapevine. After your procedure is done, you may need to stay at our dental office for an hour or more so that we can be sure there aren’t any ill side effects. For the rest of the day, you might feel drowsy and experience headaches, nausea, and sluggishness. It’s a good idea to take the rest of the day off from work; you should also avoid any intense physical activity until the medication has completely worn off. 

Dental IV Sedation Recovery

Dental patient relaxing after sedation dentistry

It can take 24 to 48 hours for the medication used in IV sedation to exit the body. You’ll feel drowsy, so be sure to get plenty of rest to ensure that recovery is as quick as possible. Your mouth might feel dry, so be sure to drink plenty of water. If you tear up, it’s not a sign of discomfort after the procedure; it’s a side effect of the IV sedation wearing off. Patients with headaches might be able to control it with ibuprofen or another painkiller (which might be prescribed for recovering from the surgery itself and should be taken as directed).

Recovering from the Procedure

Relaxing man after sedation dentistry

Depending on the type of procedure that you received sedation for, you might have additional aftercare instructions; patients who have undergone tooth extraction, for example, will need to take steps to protect the empty socket from infection or other types of damage afterwards. We’ll take the type of procedure into account while putting together your sedation dentistry aftercare instructions in Grapevine.

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