dentist puts inhalation sedative mask on his patient.
Do you feel a little anxious about visiting the dentist, or do you have a more complex treatment on the horizon? We don’t want your anxiety to stand between you and the smile you deserve, and we want you to smile with confidence and enjoy results that safeguard the health, stability, and beauty of your smile.
Whether you have a tooth being extracted or a dental implant being placed, we can help make restorative and oral surgical procedures a comfortable experience. To do so, we will provide dental sedation to help you enter a deep state of calm and relaxation, often with little to no memory of the procedure at all. In today’s blog, your Grand Prairie, TX, dentist talks about the benefits and calming impacts of dental sedation, so you can enjoy a positive experience at the office and smile with confidence afterward!
When do we offer dental sedation for our patients? As we touched on above, we may recommend this for people undergoing more extensive treatments, such as restorative dental care or oral surgery. This could include root canal therapy, wisdom tooth extraction, or the placement of dental implants. We may need to extract wisdom teeth to prevent them from causing a painful impaction that leads to misalignment and other serious concerns. We could also remove teeth to make room for dentures or to aid in orthodontic treatment too. With dental implant placement, we can address minor or severe tooth loss. Instead of using crowns or suction to keep them in place, we surgically insert them into the jawbone, where they act as new roots and bond with the jawbone. This can provide individual missing tooth replacement, or support a fixed set of dentures too.
These treatments are more extensive, and we want to ensure you are comfortable throughout the process. We may also suggest this for people with special needs or an overactive gag reflex, as this helps them enter a deep state of calm and relaxation, so they can undergo minor or extensive treatments. If you have anxiety about the dentist, we will never minimize your fears. Instead, we will talk to you about your concerns and with sedation, we can help you enter a deep state of calm!
We take a number of different factors into account when we select a calming agent for you. We will look at your age, weight, medical history, and any medications you are currently taking. Our team also looks into your anxiety levels and other factors as well. With this information, we will be able to choose the best option to help you enjoy your visit, and often leave with little to no memory of it too! When you arrive for care, we suggest wearing loose and comfortable clothing, and avoiding food and drink for the eight hours before treatment. If you’re undergoing sedation, we typically arrange for these procedures to be done in the morning. You can also bring a blanket or pillow with you too. We can talk to you about ways to ensure your visit is comfortable and that you feel relaxed even before we administer your calming medication.
One of the more common calming agents is a mild form known as nitrous oxide, or laughing gas. You breathe in a special mixture of gas through a mask over your nose, and enter a deep state of calm and relaxation. You will still be conscious and able to respond to the dentist as necessary too. The effects are mild and can be adjusted during the treatment. Once the procedure ends, the effects of the gas do as well. You can drive yourself home and even return to work or school.
If you require a deeper form of relaxation, then our team could offer oral sedation. With this option, you take a pill or liquid prior to the treatment. This helps you enter a much deeper state of relaxation, and you will have little to no memory of the procedure, but still remain conscious. The effects take time to wear off completely, so you need to have a friend or family member on hand to bring you home. If necessary, we can provide detailed aftercare instructions to take home with, as well as prescriptions for any medications you may need as part of the healing process.
IV is the deepest form available and is administered intravenously. This is often recommended if you are undergoing dental implant placement, or multiple tooth extractions to pave the way for dentures. The medication puts you into a deep, sleep-like state, again with no memory of the procedure. A trained anesthesiologist will be on hand to monitor you the entire time. The effects will take time to wear off, so you will be a bit groggy and will need someone available to bring you home. Again, we can provide any aftercare instructions and prescriptions for necessary medications. You may need to return for a follow-up visit too.
If you have any questions about how we treat serious oral health concerns, or about how we keep you comfortable with sedation dentistry, then contact our team today. We want to ensure you have a positive experience in our office, and that you look forward to seeing us again soon. You deserve optimal oral health and a beautiful smile!
We want to help you enjoy your time in our office, so your appointment is a comfortable experience! For more information on our calming medications, then schedule an appointment with Dr. Smith and our team by calling Pecan Tree Dental in Grand Prairie, TX, today at (972) 262-5111. The health of your smile is important, as this often impacts your overall health. We provide care for the entire family, and are ready to help you smile without hesitation again, so reach out to us to start your treatment journey.
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