Understanding Sedation Dentistry

Fear and anxiety shouldn’t keep you from attaining a gorgeous, healthy smile. Modern advances allow dentists to keep patients relaxed and comfortable. With sedation dentistry, patients who experience nervousness can receive the care they need.

Who should consider sedation dentistry?
While anyone can request sedation options during dental treatment, certain people can experience great benefit from this process, including individuals who:

• Can’t handle the sounds and smells of a dental office
• Have difficulty getting numb
• Need extensive repair work
• Suffer from a strong gag reflex
• Went through a dental trauma in the past

What sedation options are available?
Patients who want to relax during dental treatment have several choices:

• Nitrous oxide, also called laughing gas, creates a feeling of peacefulness during your procedure. Patients breathe the gas through a mask over the nose, so the effects disappear once the laughing gas is turned off.
• Oral sedation often combines laughing gas with a dose of anti-anxiety medication. With oral sedation, patients feel very relaxed and calm while in the dental chair. A responsible adult must accompany you to and from the dentist’s office because the sedative can stay in your system for up to 24 hours.
• IV sedation is the deepest level of relaxation offered by most dentists. Medication is administered intravenously for maximum benefit.

Is sedation dentistry safe?
Absolutely. Throughout the procedure, the dental team will monitor your vitals and make sure you are comfortable. Patients will still be able to respond to any questions, but remember little about the actual procedure.

Will I be unconscious during my appointment?
With sedation dentistry, patients are actually awake but completely relaxed. And unlike general anesthesia, patients breathe without the use of tubes under dental sedation.

Sedation dentist in Fresno