Oral Sedation

Dentistry is the subtle art of giving patients a beautiful and healthy smile that they had always been longing for. It includes certain sophisticated procedures in case of extreme oral conditions, such as oral trauma, replacing missing teeth, gum grafting, bone grafting, etc. During these, the dentist will suggest the use of deep sedation to numb the oral tissues and eliminate pain. Patients would be put to deep sleep, due to which they will have little or no memory of the procedure. Sedation can also be recommended for patients who feel too anxious to visit the dentist for regular consultations. However, this form of sedation will be quite mild as the intention is to calm the patient's nerves.

Types of dental sedation

When it comes to oral sedation, there are a few available options, such as oral sedation, intravenous sedation, and oral medication.

• Oral sedation: In this type, the patient is made to inhale nitrous oxide through a comfortably fitting mask that is placed on the nose and mouth. Nitrous oxide, or commonly known as laughing gas, is one of the safest and highly-preferred dental sedatives. The patient would find even the most ordinary things to seem funny, which helps to put them in a calm state of mind.
• Oral medication:The dentist will prescribe suitable medication in the form of pills before commencing with the procedure. It is an effective and painless means of sedation and would be most suitable for patients who have a fear of needles. Some of the common oral pills used for sedation are Xanax, Valium, Halcion, etc.
• Intravenous sedation: Whenever the patient is scheduled for a pain-inducing or a rather time-consuming dental procedure, such as removing teeth, bone graft, or oral surgery due to trauma, the dentist may recommend intravenous sedation. A highly potent sedative would be administered through an injection directly to the patient's vein. Its effect usually lasts for a longer time, and the patient would be put into a deep sleep. They wouldn't have any memory of what happened during the procedure.

The effect of the sedatives would wear off in a while, depending on the type of sedation. Also, they wouldn't have any kind of ill-effects after the procedure is completed. We make sure all the sedatives we use are of excellent quality and tested safe for both children and adults.

You may schedule a consultation with our team of dental experts by calling us at (925) 566-8738 or reaching us through an online query. We’re always happy to help.