You probably know that
dental sedatives induce only a numb feeling even when the drill is
boring through your tooth. Then again, do you have any idea how they
work?
From a scientific point
of view, pain is the mechanism that allows the body to react to
defend itself from potentially harmful stimuli.
When a mosquito
stings you in the arm, the common reaction is to slap the insect as
quickly as your reflexes can. The body produced a prompt response to
the pain you felt when the mosquito stung you.
Normally, the body
wants to get away from the source of pain. However, this poses a
problem for dentists, especially when a patient’s dental condition
warrants a tooth extraction right away. If the patient doesn’t run
away in the middle of the operation, he may respond with gag
reflexes, among others. As a result, the dentist is unable to perform
effectively.
This is where dental
sedatives come in. The drugs take their toll on a certain
neurotransmitter responsible for maintaining the brain’s quick
activity, but only for a while. The sedatives slow brain activity
such that most people administered with it hardly remember a thing
about the dental operation. The effect is more potent with
intravenous sedation than with oral sedation. This is because the
sedatives are already in the bloodstream.
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