Sedation Dentistry

There are two types of in-office sedation avaliable to patients:

ORAL SEDATION

Patients who are more anxious may need an oral medication that is stronger than nitrous oxide to effectively calm their anxiety and allow them to tolerate treatment. With oral sedation, your child may be sleepy but can be awakened if necessary and can respond to simple commands.

Prior to the adminstration of oral sedation, the child cannot have any food or liquid for up to 6 hours before the treatment to allow the medication to work effectively and to prevent side effects such as vomitting.

After the sedation your child will be groggy for a few hours and will require some rest that day until the effects of the medication have worn off.

This method is the most widely-used in order to make the visit more comfortable for the patient.

INTRAVENOUS SEDATION

IV Sedation, also known as Deep Conscious Sedation is commonly used by dentist to achieve a deeper level of sedation by giving the medication directly into the blood stream through an IV. With IV Sedation the medication can be adjusted to achieve the optimal level of sedation as needed throughout the treatment. The amnesia with this is greater and so is the sedation level, leading to a more comfortable and tolerable procedure for the patient.

This method is useful when the patient is very anxious, and would like to be ‘sleeping’ during the procedure. Little to nothing is remembered after the procedure is completed. Please be advised that a DENTAL ANESTHESIOLOGIST, and may incur additional fees.