Dental procedures require sedation to ensure comfortable and pain-free treatment. The sedation technique depends on the seriousness of the dental problem. Oral sedation is sufficient for a simple process that is not serious. On the other hand, surgical treatment requires sedation for several hours. Dental patients can get anxious and fearful before and during the treatment. Their anxieties before the therapy can hinder dental procedures. Halcion (Triazolam), a medication used for treating insomnia, finds its use in the oral sedation of dental patients. It is safe, acts quick, and is easy to use, thus, making it suitable for in-office dental implant surgery. It helps with better and fast sleep. Administration of Halcion in dental implant patients takes place either sublingually or orally. Generally, dentists recommend orally taking Halcion pills an hour before the surgery to kick in moderate sedative effects. Most dental patients report that they do not remember much of the dental procedure, which is excellent feedback for sedation dentistry. Let us look at the following pointers to understand the effectiveness of Halcion.
1. Effective in Oral Conscious Sedation:
A study conducted for 15 years on more than 200 dental patients shows that Triazolam or Halcion is an effective drug for oral sedation. The study checked various sedative techniques in combination with Halcion, i.e., Halcion combined with local anaesthesia and Halcion followed by nitrous oxide administration. For each procedure, the patients took Halcion pills 60 minutes before the process. Only 10% of the patients needed supplementation (half-dosage) of Halcion after 30 minutes for sedation. About 20% of the patients required minor nitrous-oxide administration after Halcion intake and local anaesthesia. The study concluded that more than 98% of the patients successfully went under conscious sedation after oral ingestion of Halcion. Thus, Halcion is very useful for most dental patients.
2. Effective in Low Dosages:
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Triazolam or Halcion is famous for its hypnotic, anxiolytic, and amnesic effects. Triazolam is a Schedule IV psychoactive drug. A study suggests that unlike other psychotropic medications, it requires only 0.125-0.5 mg to sedate the patient for short to moderate duration (2-4 hours). It ensures minimal side-effects and is safe to use for elderly patients at low doses. The sedation does not leave any hangover for the next morning. At these low dosages, Halcion use is an ideal choice for dental implant surgeries.
3. Effective in preventing Sedation Hangover:
Most oral sedation drugs are infamous because they leave the patients with a groggy feeling and hangover till the next morning. This happens because most anxiolytic drugs have a long half-life. The half-life of a drug is the time taken by the drug to wear out its effects on the body by 50%. A study shows that Halcion has a half-life of only 1.5-5 hours, depending on the dosage. This is way less when compared to the half-life of 20 hours for some of its counterparts. The low half-life implies that for a dental procedure of 2-4 hours, the sedation works actively on the patient. After the surgery, the patient can recover healthily without having to feel drowsy and hung-over.
4. Effective absorption and quick action:
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One of the most important advantages of using Halcion for dental sedation is its rapid action and its ability to mix fast in the bloodstream. According to a study, the metabolism of Halcion happens in the liver through oxidative reduction. The drug starts showing its effects within 15-30 minutes of intake. Also, this onset time reduces further when you take the pill sublingually instead of taking it orally. It reaches peak blood levels within 75 minutes of intake. Usually, the patient reaches the moderately sedative state by a maximum of 60 minutes of taking the pill. Dentists use a precordial stethoscope in monitoring the patient in this state.
5. Effective without any side-effects:
Most hypnotic drugs are notorious for their side-effects on the cardiovascular system and the metabolism of your body. However, Halcion is an exception. It has very less active metabolites compared to other sedation drugs. These metabolites are not as sedating as Diazepam, a commonly used hypnotic drug. As discussed in a previous point, the dosages are also very low compared to other sedation drugs. A study shows that Halcion does not have any known respiratory or cardiovascular side-effects. There are no changes in pulse, blood pressure, or percentage of oxygen saturation after taking Halcion except for a slight change in respiratory rate. Due to its low side-effects, it is a drug of choice for dentists for oral sedation for dental procedures. However, Halcion does not react well with a popular antacid, Cimetidine (Tagamet), which inhibits the absorption of the drug in the liver.
6. Effective against Anxiety:
Apart from numbing pain sensation in dental patients, oral sedation also aims at tackling anxiety before the dental procedure. As premedication, Halcion is particularly very effective in reducing anxiety and bringing the calmness of mind in patients before dental surgery. It helps the dentist to perform the procedure without risking any panicked movements from the patient. According to a study, a 0.25mg dosage of Halcion brought down the higher systolic blood pressure and heart rate in anxious elderly patients. The drug also brought improved patient satisfaction before their procedures. Therefore, Halcion is an effective anaesthetic premedication in adults.
Conclusion:
The above pointers prove that Halcion is very useful in sedation dentistry. It is a fast-acting drug which is practical, has negligible side effects, applies to most patients, and is very useful in fighting anxiety. Take Halcion in low dosages that should not exceed 0.5mg in a single day. If in doubt, do consult with your dentist about the right oral sedation drug for you. Remember that Halcion use and dosage varies with age, medical history, liver condition, and drug-drug interaction of a patient.
