If you’re super anxious, IV feels like the way to go, but yeah, you’ll want a recovery day and someone to keep an eye on you.
This is exactly what’s making me nervous about the whole thing. I’ve never been under IV sedation before and the idea of waking up not remembering anything is kinda unsettling, but then again, the thought of being aware during tooth extraction freaks me out even more. Nitrous sounds less intense, but I keep hearing it’s not always enough for impacted teeth. The “stash your phone” advice is gold—I’d probably end up live-tweeting my post-op nonsense if I’m not careful...
I get where you’re coming from—IV sedation is kind of a leap if you’ve never done it before. The memory gap thing weirded me out too, but honestly, not remembering the extraction was a blessing for me. Nitrous was fine for a filling, but my wisdom teeth were a different story... I needed the IV for that level of anxiety and pain. Curious—did your dentist walk you through both options in detail? Sometimes just hearing exactly what to expect helps take the edge off.
Can totally relate to the anxiety part. I had braces as an adult and ended up needing a couple of extractions. My dentist explained both nitrous and IV pretty thoroughly—like, step-by-step what would happen, how I'd feel, and what recovery would look like. I went with IV because just the thought of hearing/feeling everything freaked me out. Woke up groggy but honestly, didn't remember a thing, which was a relief. Nitrous worked for smaller stuff, but for anything major, IV was worth it for peace of mind.
Totally get where you're coming from. I had to get two molars out last year and was honestly dreading it. Ended up going with IV too, mostly because I just didn’t want to be aware of anything happening in my mouth. The grogginess after was weird but way better than being anxious the whole time. Nitrous was fine for fillings, but for extractions? Nah, I needed the heavy-duty stuff. Funny thing is, I barely remember the actual procedure—just waking up with gauze in my mouth and a vague sense of relief.
