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Dental Dictionary

Understand dental terms and concepts.

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Appropriately trained dentists and staff can administer different types and levels of sedation

  • Minimal sedation: You are awake, but relaxed.
  • Moderate sedation: You are awake enough for minimal communication, and may slur your words. You will likely not remember the procedure, but do continue to breathe on your own.
  • Deep sedation: You are in a state between consciousness and unconsciousness. You can still be awakened if necessary. You are generally capable of breathing on your own.
  • Unconsciousness: This state is achieved when you are under general anesthesia. You are not conscious, and you will have no memory of the experience. Your breathing is controlled by a machine that is carefully monitored by an appropriately trained anesthesia professional.

When you contact your dentist with one particular concern, like a toothache, chipped or lost tooth, or a sore spot on the gums, the dentist typically focuses attention only on that concern. Unlike a regularly scheduled exam, the dentist generally will not examine all of your teeth. The dentist may perform diagnostic services, like X-rays, or some type of treatment at the same appointment. Depending on the problem, and the complexity of necessary treatment, you may need to return for additional procedures at another time.

The process of reducing pain sensation during dental procedures occurs through the use of a local anesthetic. A local anesthetic is a medication that blocks nerve signals and temporarily causes a lack of pain sensation in a small area.

Some local anesthetics also contain ingredients to control localized bleeding for surgical procedures. These ingredients also help to keep the local anesthetic confined to the area of the dental procedure.

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