Sedation Dentistry: Will I Need to Be Sedated for a Tooth Extraction?

You may have heard people compare stressful or painful tasks with “pulling teeth.” Yet, this idiom is based on antiquated dental practices that you don’t have to worry about these days. Thanks to leaps and bounds in modern medicine, a tooth extraction isn’t “like pulling teeth.” So if a tooth extraction isn’t as painful as it would have been in yesteryear, will you still need IV sedation to get through it?

Local Anesthesia

Many patients are surprised to find out that all they need is a bit of local anesthesia to help them cruise through their tooth extraction. A local anesthetic, commonly lidocaine, is injected into the soft tissue of the mouth to completely numb the teeth and gums.

And that’s it. That’s all you need to get through your tooth extraction without any pain and minimal discomfort. About the only sensation you’ll feel in your mouth during your procedure will be mild pressures, as your doctor works to carefully remove the tooth or teeth.

The anesthesia will last you the entire procedure and a second dosage can be administered if your procedure runs long and you feel the medication begins to wear off.

Reasons to Still Choose Sedation

Even though local anesthesia can mute any pain in your mouth, it may not soothe your anxieties. Here are some of the ways sedation dentistry can help you get through a tooth extraction, even when you undergo local anesthesia as well: