Sedation Dentistry Creates a Relaxing Dental Experience
Does the idea of dental treatment make you or someone in your family feel apprehensive, nervous or anxious? We can help! At Princeton Dental Studio, we understand that undergoing dental treatment can be a stressful experience. To help you or your family member feel relaxed and calm during dental treatment, we’ll work with you to create a personalized sedation plan that ensures you will undergo pain free dentistry.
Sedation dentistry is an approach that uses medications to help patients relax through a dental procedure. While sedation dentistry is an option for most people, some patients are better candidates than others. A good candidate for sedation dentistry is in overall good health, but has fears or concerns, such as:
Sedation dentistry is not a one-size-fits-all solution, as every person that experiences dental anxiety is unique. Anyone with dental anxiety may benefit from our personalized approach to sedation – we take the time to listen to each of our patient’s concerns and develop an individualized sedation plan to determine the sedation approach that best matches the treatment and the desires of the patient.
At Princeton Dental Studio, we offer a wide variety of sedation options to help you have a safe, relaxing, comfortable and effective dental treatment.
Also known as “laughing gas,” nitrous oxide helps make dental treatments more comfortable for patients who feel anxious in the dental chair. Nitrous oxide helps relax you by blocking the chemical messengers that cause anxiety, and by triggering the release of “feel good” chemicals in your brain. Depending on your needs, nitrous oxide can be used for most dental procedures, from regular cleanings to more advanced procedures.
To administer nitrous oxide, the dentist gently places a mask over your nose and mouth, and asks you to breathe deeply. Within just a few moments, you’ll feel more relaxed and less anxious. The effects of nitrous oxide are temporary, wearing off as soon as the dentist removes the mask.
Oral sedation is medicine that comes in the form of a prescription pill that makes you feel drowsy and relaxed. In fact, depending on the sedative and your sensitivity to the medication, oral sedation may cause you to doze off during treatment. You may feel sleepy for the rest of the day, as it may take several hours for the sedation to wear off. One of the best benefits of sleep dentistry is that you may not remember undergoing the procedure.
The most commonly used oral sedation medication for dentistry is triazolam (brand name Halcion®), which is in the diazepam (brand name Valium®) family, although your dentist may use a different medication. Oral sedation is for patients who may be uncomfortable with nitrous oxide or IV sedation.
IV sedation delivers sedatives through an intravenous (IV) needle placed in your arm. The medications used in IV sedation may provide conscious sedation in which you’ll remain relaxed but fully awake or full sedation in which you are asleep.
IV sedation is for patients who have severe anxiety or who need to undergo an extensive procedure.
Administered by trained professionals, sedation dentistry is safe and effective for most patients during dental treatments. In fact, sedation dentistry may even make it safer for certain patients in that stress and anxiety may raise blood pressure during treatments – patients who are sedated feel calmer and are therefore less likely to experience stress-related spikes in blood pressure.
After administering sedation, the dental professionals at Princeton Dental Studio will monitor your condition, including your blood pressure, carefully to ensure your comfort and safety throughout your dental procedure.
The amount of time it will take for sedation to wear off depends largely on the type of sedation used. Nitrous oxide wears off almost immediately after your dentist removes the mask, while oral sedation may take several hours to wear off.
Sedation causes drowsiness, so we always recommend that you arrange for transportation to and from your treatment. We also recommend that you not drive, drink alcohol, or operate machinery after undergoing sedation dentistry.
If you would like more information about sedation and dentists that put you to sleep before your dental procedure, consult with the dental professionals at Princeton Dental Studio. While dentistry is our profession, people are our focus, so you can be assured that you will receive the best care possible.
Call (903) 213-2256 or request an appointment online to set up your first visit. We’ll be in touch soon.
