Highlands Ranch Dental Anxiety
Sedation Dentistry Can Reduce Your Dental Anxiety
In our Highlands Ranch dental office, we practice mild sedation dentistry that can be used to reduce and prevent dental anxiety. Here are some of the questions we regularly answer about sedation dentistry.
Will I be asleep when sedated?
Typically not. Sleep dentistry is usually reserved for oral surgery and lengthy procedures. Sedation dentistry will help you relax and can make you drowsy, so some patients do nod off. However, with our sedation methods, you are still in control of your body and are technically not put to sleep.
Can everyone use sedation dentistry?
To determine if you are healthy enough for sedation (most people are), we recommend that you schedule an appointment with our Colorado dental office. We will meet with you to discuss the type of sedation that will be best for your procedure and the level of dental anxiety that you are experiencing.
How is sedation dentistry administered?
There are two most common forms of sedation: one is taking an anti-anxiety pill an hour before the procedure begins, the other is the use of nitrous oxide. One anti-anxiety pill can help you to feel entirely relaxed and eliminate your fear of dentists. We offer nitrous oxide to children who are anxious, but also to many adult patients! If a procedure without sedation needs local anesthetic, this will still be administered, but it is often less painful and works better with the addition of sedation.
Will I be able to move around like normal?
Yes, with mild sedation dentistry you can continue to engage in conversation and respond to commands; but your response times may be slightly delayed and your mind not as clear as normal. This is why when taking an anti-anxiety pill, we recommend that you have someone drive you home. With nitrous oxide, we flush your system with pure oxygen afterwards so by the time you get out of the chair you are back to normal.
Are there any side effects of sedation dentistry?
Most of the time, the sedation pill effect goes away within an hour of your procedure being complete. If you are more heavily sedated or put to sleep for oral surgery, it can take a couple of hours to feel normal but this is rare. In our Highlands Ranch dental office, we use the least amount of sedation to help you to feel completely relaxed and comfortable. Thus, it is effective without staying in your system for too long.
Can children benefit from sedation dentistry?
Yes, children may need sedation when going through dental work so that they can hold still long enough for a dentist to complete the dental work. This is a unique specialty and not offered at every dentist office.