Recent Study Shows Anesthetic Combination Allows For Quicker Recovery Post Oral Surgery, Tyler Sedation Dentist, Dr. Roy Smith, Comments
(PRWEB) September 18, 2013 -- Sedation dentistry is a practice that has been used in the dental field dating back to the 1840’s. Technology and dental science has rapidly evolved since then, allowing for different forms of sedation to be administered. The most well-known dental surgery involving sedation is the extraction of the third molars, also known as wisdom teeth. There are several different ways to administer sedation, one of them being intravenous, or through the use of an IV.
“There are three basic ways to sedate a dental patient,” said Roy Smith, DDS, of Smith Dental Care in Tyler, TX. “At Smith Dental Care we use intravenous, oral sedation which is a pill, or nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas. We have found that the greatest success we have of bringing patients to the point of deep sedation is through intravenous. It allows us to accomplish more in a single visit. Sometimes years’ worth of dental neglect is able to be reversed.”
In an effort to monitor recovery time for intravenous sedation patients, Anesthesia Progress compared two drug combinations used for deep oral surgeries. The study conducted was double blind, with neither the patient nor the surgeons aware of which drug was being administered. The two sedation drugs being used were a continuous intravenous infusion of propfol-remifentanil and a continuous intravenous infusion of propofol-ketamine. The respiratory functions, heart rates, and blood pressures of 37 patients under sedation were monitored. The focus of the study was based on emergence from the sedation and total recovery time. With an average emergence time of 13.6 minutes, patients that received ketamine sedation took longer than the 7.1 minutes it took the patients that received remifentanil. The trend followed for recovery time as well with ketamine patients taking an average of 42.9 minutes and remifentanil recording a time of 24.5 minutes. The same level of sedation was administered to both patients. Ketamine patients did also show a slight increase in heart rate. Both sides reported being satisfied with their treatment.
“This study shows two things,” says Dr. Smith. “First, sedation dentistry is a highly effective method for accomplishing a lot of work in a short amount of time. It also provides a way for those nervous of the dentist chair to have work done without the anxiety. Secondly, dentists now have a choice to either provide a ketamine based sedation that is cheaper for the patient but comes with a longer emergence and recovery time. Remifentanil will be more expensive but provides a very quality, and perhaps ideal, sedation option.”
About Smith Dental Care
Located in Tyler, Texas, Smith Dental Care opened its doors in 1980. For the first 25 years, Dr. Roy R. Smith, DDS was the only dentist serving the patients of Smith Dental Care, striving to focus every day on listening to patients and learning what they wanted and needed from Smith Dental Care. Over the years, Smith Dental Care has brought in three great associates, Dr. Lynette Ogletree, Dr. Joe T. Smith, and Dr. Aaron Douglas. Together they have implemented many services that help Smith Dental Care increase their patients’ satisfaction.
For more information, visit http://www.smithdentaltyler.com or call (903) 534-1171.
Smith Dental Care 5400 New Copeland Rd Tyler, TX 75703 Phone: (903) 534-1171 http://www.smithdentaltyler.com
Stacy Schiel, Stubenbordt Medical Marketing, +1 (682) 831-0900, [email protected]
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