Do you avoid visiting the dentist? Is your dental anxiety keeping you from getting the dental care you need? At Groesbeck Family Dental, we offer sedation dentistry in Groesbeck, TX, to provide relaxing, painless dental care. Dental sedation can help you feel comfortable in the dental chair.
Sedation dentistry is a part of our general dentistry treatments. Receiving dental sedation can help you receive dental care, especially care that requires lengthy treatment.
Benefits of Sedation Dentistry in Groesbeck, TX
Dental sedation offers many benefits for dental patients. Sedation offers comfortable care, anxiety relief, and efficient treatment. Under sedation, you will not feel discomfort. While you may feel sensations during treatment, you will not feel pain.
Sedation is a great option if you have dental fear or anxiety. You can receive dental care without feeling anxious about your procedure. We will often recommend sedation if you feel anxiety about hearing loud dental tools or fear of discomfort during treatment.
Our team also benefits from sedation. We can treat anxious patients without any distractions or interruptions with sedation. Our office often uses sedation for treatments that require more complex or lengthy care. You often will not remember your treatment under moderate to deep sedation.
Levels of Dental Sedation
There are three levels of sedation. We will pick the best type of sedation for you based on your type of dental procedure and health history:
- Minimal Sedation: You feel relaxed and can respond to verbal commands under mild sedation. It’s simple to recover from minimal sedation as the effects of sedation wear off quickly.
- Moderate Sedation: While you are still conscious under moderate sedation, you may not remember your treatment. You feel deeper relaxation under moderate sedation than under minimal sedation.
- Deep Sedation: You are often unconscious under deep sedation but can be awakened if needed. Under deep sedation, you will not remember your dental procedure and need transportation to and from the dental office. It will take time to recover from deep sedation fully.
Types of Dental Sedation
Before we provide sedation in our office, we will consider your medical history, current medications, and health. Some types of sedation can negatively interact with medications or medical conditions.
For instance, we will not recommend oral sedation for patients with respiratory diseases or breathing problems. We will also not recommend IV sedation for patients with sleep apnea. Additionally, some patients may be allergic to benzodiazepines used in oral sedation and IV sedation. Tell us of any allergies or medications to prevent adverse reactions under sedation.
The three types of dental sedation that dental offices use include:
Nitrous Oxide
Also known as “laughing gas,” nitrous oxide is a colorless and odorless gas you breathe with oxygen through a mask. During this sedation, oxygen combines with nitrous oxide to counterbalance the effects of pure nitrous oxide.
It can take just seconds of breathing through the mask to feel the effects of nitrous oxide. Under nitrous oxide, you may feel happy and lightheaded, but you will also feel relaxed. Once the dentist removes the mask from your face, the nitrous oxide can take several minutes to wear off.
Oral Conscious Sedation
To prepare for oral conscious sedation, you will take medication before your procedure. The dentist will provide you with an anti-anxiety medication so you will feel relaxed during treatment. The length of your dental procedure under oral conscious sedation depends on the type of medication you require. Each type of medication wears off at different times.
Oral conscious sedation is also known as “twilight sleep” because you will not remember your treatment. Additionally, you will need a ride to and from the office, as it takes time for this sedation to wear off.
IV Sedation
During this type of sedation, a registered nurse starts an IV to deliver medication throughout the bloodstream. While IV sedation is a type of conscious sedation, it is the deepest form of conscious sedation. This means that while you may respond to the dentist during treatment, it is possible that you fall asleep under IV sedation.
Dentists often use IV sedation in combination with other types of sedation, including nitrous oxide. You are more likely to stay asleep during your treatment with a combination of sedation. Because of this, you will need transportation to and from your appointment, as you may still feel the effects of sedation.
Relieving Dental Anxiety at the Dentist
At Groesbeck Family Dental, we understand that patients of all ages can suffer from dental anxiety. We help anxious patients, whether they fear dental pain, loud dental tools, or certain dental procedures due to negative experiences at the dentist. In addition to dental sedation, we encourage patients to bring objects to their visits to make treatment more comfortable.
Patients can bring stress balls, blankets, and music to help relax them during treatment. We also encourage patients to bring family members to their appointments. If patients require further accommodation, we welcome them to contact our office before their next visit.
Sedation Dentistry FAQs
Learn more about sedation with answers to these frequently asked questions:
What are the restrictions after dental sedation?
After you receive deep dental sedation, you should avoid:
- Operating vehicles (driving)
- Alcohol
- Smoking or using tobacco products
It’s best to rest after you receive moderate to deep sedation. You may still feel sleepy after this type of sedation, so it’s best to take a day off of work after your treatment.
Is dental sedation safe for children?
Yes. Nitrous oxide is the best option for children because it provides light sedation. With nitrous oxide, we can easily control the sedation we provide patients. Our dentists also closely monitor patients under sedation to ensure their comfort and safety.
Can I receive dental sedation if I’m pregnant?
We will not recommend sedation for pregnant patients. Local anesthetic is safe for pregnant women, but sedation dentistry is not recommended, specifically in the first trimester. If you may be pregnant, please let our office know before we plan treatment.
Receive Relaxing Dental Care Today
Do you avoid the dentist because of dental anxiety? Ask us about dental sedation. Call Groesbeck Family Dental in Groesbeck, TX, for sedation dentistry treatment at (254) 556-3973. You can also schedule a dental appointment with Dr. Todd Collins and Dr. William Jennings.