Sedation

Dental sedation is a technique that can be used when a patient suffers from dental anxiety or dental phobia.

Depending on the extent of the anxiety or phobia, we can provide various degrees of dental sedation.

The three most common methods of sedation are:  conscious sedation with oral medications (sedatives), inhalation sedation with nitrous oxide, and intravenous (IV) sedation.

These techniques enable patients who seek for assuring relaxation to receive dental treatment necessary for a healthy smile.

Anxious or even phobic patients often discover that sedation dentistry can offer the perfect solution for maintaining good oral health while being in a totally relaxed state or sleep-like state.

Types of Dental Sedation

1) Most commonly, oral conscious sedation (usually in the form of anti-anxiety or “happy” pills such as diazepam) is prescribed for relieving anxiety  and can be given to a patient the night before a dentistry procedure or 30 minutes to an hour before the dental appointment, depending on the severity of the anxiety.  An anti-anxiety or sedative-hypnotic drug taken the night before the appointment can help with falling asleep and getting some rest.

2) Inhalation sedation (with nitrous, nitrous oxide – known as “laughing gas”, “happy gas”) is a form of conscious sedation, and is used to induce a state of relaxation.

3) Intravenous (IV) sedation in the form of drugs is administered into the blood-stream through a vein.