The Benefits of Dental Sedation

At Levesque Family Dentistry, we offer sedation dentistry to help alleviate any dental fear or anxiety. Our team of dentists works to provide a safe, comfortable environment for patients of all ages to receive exceptional dental care.

What is Sedation Dentistry?

Sedation Dentistry is often used for general anxiety and aversions to dental procedures. It is also used to benefit other types of patients.

Sedation dentistry is a safe and easy way for patients to undergo a variety of dental procedures without fear and anxiety. The process enables fearful patients to relax and receive the treatments they need in order to maintain their oral health.

There are various levels and types of sedation. The most common types of sedation administered by dentists include:

• Mild sedation
• Moderate sedation
• Oral sedation
• Deep sedation

Is sedation dentistry safe for all ages?

Your dentist can discuss sedation options and review the details, along with the patient’s health history, so the patient is able to make informed choices regarding dental sedation safety for yourself or your child.

What are the side effects of sedation?

Potential side effects of sedation, although there are fewer than with general anesthesia, include headache, nausea, and drowsiness. These side effects usually go away quickly. Because levels of sedation vary, it’s important to be monitored during surgery to make sure you don’t experience complications.

Recovery from conscious sedation is pretty quick. After the procedure is done, you may be monitored until your heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing are back to normal. Some side effects may last for the rest of the day. These include drowsiness, headaches, nausea, and sluggishness.

Which dental sedation option is best for me?

Sedation dentistry can allow patients with complex dental needs to receive multiple treatments during one visit, saving time and money.

Dental sedation covers a variety of techniques used to either calm a patient before and during a dental procedure or to make patients more comfortable during long procedures. There are three options to help the patients ease their anxiety.

• Nitrous Oxide is also known as Laughing Gas. It is inhaled via a tiny cannula placed under the nose. It provides similar sedation to the oral option, but nitrous has the added benefit of taking effect sooner and wearing off almost immediately.
• Oral Sedation is administered in pill form and will enable the patient to stay alert and responsive while not feeling any pain or discomfort. It may take some time to become effective and several hours to wear off completely. It’s possible the patient may need assistance getting home.
• IV Sedation is the strongest type of sedation for procedures. IV allows control over the level of comfort and careful monitoring of the patient’s vitals. The IV allows the medication to be delivered directly to the bloodstream, which will enable the sedative to take effect slowly. It will take several hours to wear off completely. IV sedation provides the most profound state of relaxation, and the patients generally have no memory of the procedure. The patient will need assistance getting up and home.

To decide which sedation method is right for you, our team of dentists will review your health history, your overall health, and other factors. To determine if sedation dentistry is right for you, visit Levesque Dentistry in Nashua, NH.