Sedation Dentistry

Sedation dentistry is the ability to sedate patients during their dental work to help reduce the fears and anxieties many patients have due to previous bad experiences at the dental office. Others have anxiety caused by a fear of the unknown or from having someone in their “personal space” performing treatments. Our practice is equipped with several methods of sedation for patients to choose from for their next visit, including:
● Nitrous sedation – nitrous oxide is an odorless, colorless gas that is administered through the nose and provides almost instantaneous sedation. It allows patients to relax while their dental work is done and can be quickly reversed with the administration of oxygen. The primary benefits of this treatment are the lack of side effects and the ability for patients to drive after their appointment and return to their normal activities.● Oral conscious sedation – for moderate cases of dental anxiety, we may recommend oral conscious sedation. This method requires the patient to arrange transportation to their visit and back home, as the prescription medication obtained at the pharmacy can impact one’s ability to drive. Patients are conscious, coherent, and able to answer questions and follow direction when using this method of sedation, but later often do not have any memoires of their visit.● IV sedation – severe cases of anxiety are often managed with IV sedation, where our dentist or the anesthesiologist will administer a sedative directly into the blood stream.