North Carolina Board of Dental Examiners

Sedation and anesthesia play a vital role in modern dental practices, providing patients with a more comfortable and anxiety-free experience during procedures. These techniques are particularly important for individuals with severe dental anxiety, low pain tolerance, or complex medical conditions that make routine dental care challenging. By offering sedation or anesthesia, dental professionals can perform more invasive or time-consuming procedures while ensuring the patient remains calm and cooperative. This not only improves the patient experience but also allows clinicians to deliver high-quality care efficiently.

However, the use of sedation and anesthesia requires a high level of vigilance from the entire dental team. Monitoring the patient continuously is crucial to ensuring their safety, as sedation can affect cardiovascular, respiratory, and central nervous system functions. Each team member must be aware of their role in monitoring vital signs, identifying potential complications, and responding promptly to changes in the patient’s condition. Proper monitoring reduces risks, enables timely interventions, and reinforces the trust patients place in the dental team to deliver safe and effective care. By prioritizing patient monitoring, dental practices uphold the highest standards of safety and excellence in care.