Regular dental visits are essential for your overall well-being and a healthy, beautiful smile. But we understand that few things cause as much anxiety as a looming dental appointment. Fortunately, it doesn’t have to be so.
Our board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeons, Dr. Prabh Grewal and Dr. Arthur Kilkuts, take extreme care to ensure your comfort and safety by offering carefully calculated dental sedation options. To find out how we can make your appointment virtually painless and stress-free, contact us today at Corona Oral Surgery and Implant Center! We help patients from the Norco, Eastvale, and Corona, CA areas.
But before we delve deeper into dental anesthesia, let’s take a quick look at the colorful, intriguing history behind this revolutionary, often-used science.
The fascinating history of dental sedation
General dentistry has a long and storied history. The Sumerians pioneered dental medicine circa 3500 BCE, using opium to relieve tooth pain. But the first written record of the dental profession stretches back nearly five millennia to an Egyptian known as Hesy-Re, described as “the best among those who treat teeth.” The Egyptians also concocted history’s first toothpaste. And a papyrus dating to 1700 BCE describes various dental problems and remedies.
More than 1,000 years later, Hippocrates and Aristotle wrote about dental diseases and treatments, including the use of wires to stabilize teeth or jawbone fractures. The Romans and Etruscans began using crowns and bridges in 100 BCE. And around 700 AD, the Chinese invented a metallic amalgam to treat caries. In the Middle Ages, a guild of barbers was created and included barber-surgeons who performed dental procedures, like extractions.
History’s first attempt at dental sedation occurred much later, in 1844. Dr. Horace Wells used nitrous oxide in a public demonstration at the Massachusetts General Hospital, but unsuccessfully, as his patient cried out during the tooth extraction. The first successful use of dental sedation belongs to Dr. William T.G. Morton. Two years later, and at that same hospital, he successfully used ether to sedate a patient during a tooth extraction.
Corona Oral Surgery and Implant Center offers multiple, proven modern sedation options
We’re happy to offer various options to make your dental experience as painless and comfortable as possible, including nitrous oxide (N2O) or “laughing gas,” which is applied using a face mask. Alternatively, some patients may benefit from an orally administered pill, ingested one hour before the dental appointment.
If an advanced degree of sedation is required, Dr. Grewal or Dr. Kilkuts will administer an intravenous (IV) solution. The IV solution allows you to remain awake and aware. You’ll feel as if you dozed on and off during your procedure, which will breeze by before you know it.
Additionally, our caring, experienced professionals also apply local anesthesia to the area receiving treatment to relieve any discomfort in the teeth, gums, or nerves.
Is it safe to drive after receiving dental sedation?
The short answer is no. Dental sedation depresses the central nervous system to provide relaxation, improve comfort, and dull pain. Afterward, you will feel a bit groggy or sluggish, and your driving ability will be impaired. Therefore, it is not safe to drive after receiving oral or intravenous sedation, and you should plan to have someone drive you home.
Let us prove that dentist appointments don’t have to be unpleasant
Modern dentistry is a culmination of thousands of years of knowledge and practice, so there’s no reason for anxiety or dread. Our board-certified oral and maxillofacial surgeons, Dr. Prabh Grewal and Dr. Arthur Kilkuts, are pleased to offer proven and effective solutions to make your appointment as pleasant as possible.
So don’t hesitate to reach out to us at Corona Oral Surgery and Implant Center. We also welcome you to visit our Corona, CA office.
