Sedation Dentistry Makes Dental Treatment More Comfortable

If you have excessive fear or anxiety about coming in for root canal therapy, microsurgery or other treatments, talk to us about our sedation options that can make your experience more comfortable. We are pleased to offer this service for our patients.

We offer three levels of sedation to increase patient comfort:

• Nitrous Oxide – Commonly known as laughing gas.   It is administered through a nasal mask and it has a rapid onset.  Since it is a gas, there are no effects after the gas is stopped at the end of the procedure.  Therefore, patients are able to function normally without any side effects; including driving after their dental procedure.  This is a wonderful level of sedation for those patients who have a slight fear or anxiety.

• Oral Sedation – Commonly referred to as the “Happy Pill”, oral sedation is where the patient is given a sedative-hypnotic drug just before their dental appointment.  The most common drug is Valium (diazepam).  It takes approximately 30 minutes for it to take effect, so you will need to come to your appointment early.  With oral sedation, you will need a driver to and from your dental appointment and you should NOT drive for the remainder of the day.  Oral sedation works well for patients that have a mild to moderate level of fear and anxiety.   The level of relaxation varies from one person to the next.  After treatment is completed, you should NOT return to work for the remainder of the day.  

• I.V. sedation – Also known as “Conscious Sedation”, intravenous (I.V.) conscious sedation helps produce a noticeable reduction or absence of anxiety during treatment.  Patients have very little or no recollections of the root canal treatment.  This is a safe and comfortable procedure for patients who are hard to numb, claustrophobic, nervous, suffer from T.M.J. or who gag easily.  Patients who choose I.V. sedation will need to have a driver to and from their dental appointment and should NOT drive or return to work.