At Hampton Dental Associates, one of our biggest joys is to help patients feel good about coming to the dentist. Over the past several years, there has been a rather broad conversation around dental anxiety. More dentists have realized that fear can keep people away from the care they need. This has resulted in awareness, but that may not be enough. We have learned through many decades of practice that a nervous patient can’t be talked out of their anxiety. What is needed is a reliable solution. In our Milwaukie office, that solution is sedation dentistry.
Is Sedation Dentistry Sleep Dentistry?
Sedation dentistry as often been called sleep dentistry. There is a chance that a sedated patient might sleep lightly during their dental procedure, but this usually depends on the kind of sedative they are given. For example, many patients with mild to moderate dental anxiety are treated with nitrous oxide (laughing gas). This sedative is excellent for relieving stress, but it probably won’t cause drowsiness.
Various types of sedation offer unique benefits, and we are happy to provide multiple options. Ultimately, it isn’t the type of sedation that is used but the advantages it provides that matters. Sedation dentistry really is:
- The use of sedation during dental procedures is streamlined into a few methods. We either place a small mask over the nose to deliver nitrous oxide, administer a pill about an hour before treatment, or insert a small IV through which medication is given during a procedure.
- All forms of sedation used in dentistry have been approved based on a high standard of safety. Nitrous oxide has mild side effects if any at all. Oral conscious sedation causes drowsiness, so a driver is needed, but effects wear off after a few hours. IV sedation is similar. Only deep IV sedation may require breathing assistance and is usually not necessary for dental treatment.
- One of the advantages of dental sedation is that all methods work quickly. Inhaled nitrous oxide quickly reaches the bloodstream to reduce anxiety, as does IV sedation. Oral conscious sedation, though the most popular choice, may take up to half an hour to noticeably affect the nervous system.
Your next dental visit doesn’t have to be stressful, and it doesn’t have to be put off due to fear. Call 414-377-5711 to learn more about sedation dentistry in our Milwaukie office.