At Kyrene Family Dentistry, we understand that some patients suffer from dental anxiety and offer sedation dentistry to help them have a more positive and worry-free experience. Also known as Painless Dentistry, sedation dentistry uses medications to help patients relax, reduce the memory of the procedure, make the procedure very brief, and practically eliminate discomfort. Dr. Heaton is an expert in each of these types of sedation and will help you select the one that best suits your needs.
Dentistry with intravenous sedation requires a needle to be placed in a vein in the hand or on the inside of the arm, at the elbow. The medication is given through a tube that extends between a bag of saline solution with the medication and the needle. This method provides the most profound (strongest) sedative effect of the three, but you will still be able to respond to instructions. After the consultation, you'll feel like you've been sleeping because you probably won't remember the procedure.
The effect starts almost instantly and the doctor will monitor your vital signs and “adjust” your level of sedation for the time you are in the chair. As with oral sedation, you'll need to arrange for someone to drive you home, and your doctor may recommend that you have someone to watch and help you for a period of time after the procedure. At Bellissimo Dentistry in Chandler, Arizona, we use conscious oral sedation or anti-anxiety medications to help patients cope with anxiety and fear of dental visits. Whether it's a simple filling or a more extensive dental procedure, dentistry with sedation can provide a calm environment and a more pleasant experience overall. Nitrous oxide is an odorless gas that contains analgesic and soothing properties and is a mild sedative.
Patients who take nitrous oxide during treatment should be able to drive themselves home afterwards. Oral sedation consists of the consumption of an oral medication against anxiety prescribed by Dr. Arooni. The medication used in oral sedation also confers a slight effect similar to that of amnesia, so the patient who chooses oral sedation may not remember the procedure at all.
This form of sedation is slightly stronger than nitrous oxide, so the patient may need to be taken home after the procedure. At Smiles of Chandler, we offer three different types of sedation dentistry that involve the use of oral medications, nitrous oxide, or intravenous (IV) sedation to relax patients during their procedures. If you suffer from dental anxiety or other discomfort during dental procedures, we want to do what's best for you. With the help of sedation dentistry, we can even combine appointments so that you don't have to go to the dentist as often. While there are risks associated with any procedure in dentistry and medicine, you can be sure that your Smiles of Chandler doctor has the experience and knowledge needed to provide you with a safe and pleasant sedation experience.
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