You may have heard about sedation dentistry from a friend or coworker. You may have discovered it when researching ways of managing dental anxiety.
Regardless of the reason, we want you to know the dental sedation is an option for patients at any Beaumont Family Dentistry location. We have three offices in Lexington, KY, and we welcome patients throughout Central Kentucky.
We offer three kinds of sedation for our patients. Today, we will discuss the differences between these types of sedation, and the benefits sedation can offer you or someone you know.
Three Kinds Of Sedation
Dental sedation has a history that goes back more than 150 years. In that time, we have learned better ways of administering sedation and new techniques to help dental patients.
We will start by describing the strongest form of sedation that we offer.
▶︎ IV Sedation
In Kentucky, IV sedation may be administered only by someone who has been licensed to do so. We are fortunate to have such a dentist in our practice, Dr. Ryan Golibersuch. For this reason, this kind of sedation is only available at our Hamburg office at this time.
This kind of sedation is used most frequently for patients who are undergoing long and complicated procedures. IV sedation allows a licensed professional to carefully control the sedation throughout the procedure.
The effects can last for a while, and anyone who receives this form of sedation must arrange for someone else to take him home.
▶︎ Oral Conscious Sedation
This form of sedation is as simple as taking a pill. You will take a dose of anti-anxiety medication about an hour before your treatment begins.
This will help you relax, and it usually will leave you feeling groggy or drowsy, although some patients do fall asleep.
The effects of this medication may last for a few hours after your treatment is complete. Again, any patients receiving this form of sedation will be required to have someone else available to take them home.
▶︎ Nitrous Oxide
This was the original form of sedation dentistry, although people have known about the effects of inhaling nitrous oxide for more than 200 years.
When you breathe in the gas, many patients experience a euphoric feeling (which is one of the reasons it is also known as “laughing gas”). While this helps you remain calm and comfortable, it also prevents you from feeling pain.
As long as you continue breathing the gas, you will remain in your relaxed state, and mostly unaware of the specifics of your treatment.
Unlike other forms of sedation, this wears off quickly. You will start to feel like yourself after we turn off the gas and you exhale the remaining nitrous oxide in your system.
After a few minutes, you will feel like yourself again, and you will be free to go on with the rest of your day.
Is Dental Sedation Right For You?
The best way to find out is to schedule a consultation with one of our dentists.
We will listen as you explain the reasons that you feel anxious about coming to the dentist office. By learning about your specific concerns, we can advise you on whether sedation or our other comfort options may be better for you.
We mentioned earlier that you will not feel any pain while you are under sedation. If this is a particular worry for you, then nitrous oxide or oral conscious sedation may be just what you need.
Some patients have sensitive gag reflexes. Dental sedation can help with this, too.
If you are bothered by the sounds of dental care, sedation may be one way to deal with that, but it’s not the only way. For some patients, listening to music on headphones is a great way to block out those sounds.
Some patients are bothered by dental care because they feel like they are not in control. For some, sedation allows them to let go of those worries.
For others, sedation may add to those concerns. A better approach may be explaining exactly what is happening and why. You can stop us anytime to ask questions about your procedure or to take a break if you need one.
Improving Your Experience
We know that many people will avoid the dentist for years because of anxiety, which may have developed from a bad experience at another office. At each Beaumont Family Dentistry office in Lexington, our team will do our best to help you feel as relaxed and as comfortable as possible.
This may mean sedation dentistry, our comfort options, or a combination of both. Whatever we can do to help, we want to do for you.
Call any of our locations or fill out our online form to learn more about sedation dentistry or to make an appointment.