Helping you feel comfortable in the dentist’s chair
Do you have a dental phobia, or simply feel anxious before an appointment? You are not alone, and you do not have to avoid the care you need. Our dentists can relieve your fear and anxiety with sedation dentistry.
Why sedation dentistry?
Dental fear often builds up over many years, sometimes after a painful experience or a past injury to the teeth. The longer care is put off, the bigger the worry can become. We understand how hard this is, and we work with you to overcome it.
Sedation before your visit
For some patients, we prescribe a medication to take before the appointment. It eases the move from home, where you feel safe, to our office. Because it relaxes you too much to drive, someone will need to bring you to your appointment and take you home.
Sedation in our office
Once you are settled in the chair, your dentist may give you one of four types of sedation, depending on your treatment and your level of anxiety:
- Oral sedatives
- Inhaled nitrous oxide (“laughing gas”)
- Moderate IV sedation
- General anesthesia
Degrees of sedation
Sedation dentistry is often called “sleep dentistry”, but you are only fully asleep under general anesthesia or deep sedation, which is usually reserved for more complex treatment. Nitrous oxide is light sedation. You stay aware and can talk normally, you just feel calmer, and you may be able to drive yourself home.
If your fear is more intense, your dentist may suggest moderate sedation, either an oral sedative taken about an hour before treatment or moderate IV sedation. You may feel sleepy or even doze off, but you can be woken easily, and you may remember little of the procedure afterwards.
