Sedation
Dentistry Services
It’s not uncommon for our patients to experience anxiety or stress during their procedures. That’s why our office offers sedation options to help our patients feel as comfortable and relaxed as possible. Relax and remain at ease with our sedation dentistry services.
Sedation Dentistry
We pride ourselves on offering our patients comfortable, effective, and safe sedation options while undergoing their dental procedures. If you suffer from the following, you may be the perfect candidate for sedation dentistry:
- A fear or anxiety of being at the dentist
- A hard time sitting still for long periods of time
- A hard time getting numb or staying numb from anesthetics
Levels of Sedation
Anxiolysis:
As the lightest form of sedation dentistry, anxiolysis is used for patients with mild anxiety, or longer procedures. If you are a fit for anxiolysis sedation we will likely prescribe you a single medication such as valium and use nitrous oxide (laughing gas). You will remain awake or very sleepy throughout the procedure and you can breathe on your own. This option allows the patient to feel a huge sense of relaxation and typically recover very quickly.
Oral Conscious (Pill) Sedation:
This option is used for patients with moderate dental anxiety or who need more complex procedures. With conscious sedation, you will remain awake or very sleepy throughout the procedure and you can breathe on your own.
Moderate Sedation and General Anesthesia:
Patients receiving this type of treatment generally have severe, debilitating anxiety/fear or they oftentimes are receiving extensive dental treatment such as wisdom teeth, full mouth rehabilitation, pediatrics, and fixing all broken teeth in one appointment. We bring in anesthesiologists (like the ones in hospitals) to assist with these complicated surgeries. We require patients who receive IV sedation or general anesthesia to have a parent, spouse, or friend accompany them to appointments because it can take several hours for the sedative to wear off and driving may be unsafe.
How It Works
With sedation dentistry, we can provide our patients exhibiting anxiety at the dentist with a safe and comfortable experience. You will not be able to sense anything about your procedure while in the middle of it and you will have no memory of it after it is complete. At Wendell Family Dentistry, you’re in great hands while achieving your dream smile.
