Sedation Dentistry

A trip to see the dentist shouldn’t cause you unnecessary stress or anxiety. You may have put up with your dental anxiety for years now, or you might have skipped a few visits. No matter the situation, sedation dentistry can help. Schedule a visit with us today to discuss your options for getting a stress-free experience during every appointment.

Full Relaxation During Your Dental Treatments

Sedation options help us ensure that all of our patients experience exceptional treatment. You should feel relaxed and ready to undergo care every time you settle into the chair. If the mere idea of getting treatment makes you feel nervous or afraid, we have a solution for you. Our sedation dentistry options work for patients of all ages, helping the whole family overcome their resistance and enjoy a more positive experience. Once you’ve had a few visits with the assistance of sedation, you may find you’re calm enough not to need the extra treatment any longer. Each patient has a personalized sedation plan to help them get the amount of relaxation they need with minimal risks or chances of side effects.

Find Out If You’re a Good Fit for Sedation Dentistry Care

Almost all patients who feel some kind of dental anxiety can find a sedation solution in our practice. Even young and older patients can take certain sedation medications without concerns about side effects. If you or a family member have health concerns, our team will work to find a medication or relaxation technique that fits your needs. You may want to consider sedation if you experience any of the following problems:

• Extra sensitive teeth or resistance to anesthesia
• Gag reflex issues that make it difficult to handle many common dental treatments
• Previous dental visits that left you with trauma or bad memories
• A fear of needles, drills, or medical settings in general
• A need for more complex or involved dental treatments that may test your patience
• Self-consciousness about your teeth
• General discomfort with dental care.

Sedation Solutions for Every Patient

Relaxation is a priority for our team because comfortable patients have better results from the treatments we offer. When you’re uncomfortable or feeling anxious, it’s harder for us to get through the steps without delay. We’ll work with you to decide which of the following sedation dentistry options will work best for you or a family member.

Our sedation options include the following, but we may have other options for helping you manage stress if none of them will work for you.

Oral Sedation

The simplest solution for reducing dental anxiety from the start is to take a single dose of oral medication while you’re still at home. You’ll need someone to drive you to your appointment as well as pick you up, but you’ll arrive perfectly relaxed and unconcerned about the treatment. There are prescriptions that work for every kind of patient depending on age, health conditions, and preferences. Some medications may even leave you drifting off to sleep and waking up with the dental work completed.

Nitrous Oxide

Popular for children but also helpful for adult patients, nitrous oxide is also more commonly known as laughing gas. It wears off relatively quickly compared to other sedation options and is easily administered at safe doses for sensitive patients. You’ll still need a designated driver to pick you up, but you can drive yourself to the appointment since the gas isn’t administered until you start the treatment. It’s an odorless gas that takes away your anxiety without leaving you unconscious or unaware.

IV Sedation

For the most advanced cases of anxiety, we can keep you fully unconscious while we handle extensive and complex dental treatments. You’ll receive a steady level of medication to keep you comfortable and constant monitoring. An oxygen mask ensures you’re always safe as you rest without any awareness of what’s going on. You won’t need to worry about pain, discomfort, or the sounds and sights of the treatment. It’s a necessary level of sedation for oral surgery like complicated tooth extractions, but it’s available for other treatments if you need it.

The Safety Question with Sedation Dentistry

One of the biggest questions patients have about sedation dentistry involves its safety. Each medication or sedation method is different, but they’re generally safe for most patients. Our expertise helps us pair you with the right sedation method that will have minimal side effects or risks for you while giving you the level of relaxation you need. In fact, letting yourself get stressed out and anxious over dental treatment can pose a bigger risk to your health than monitored sedation. When you feel scared, your blood pressure and heart rate rise. You can maintain healthy blood pressure levels and avoid stress on your heart with dental sedation.