Anxiety about visiting the dentist is quite common. Lots of patients are nervous at the thought of an oral healthcare professional examining their mouths. For many, this fear can prevent them from getting the dental care they need. Luckily, dental sedation can help alleviate anxiety and make their visits much more comfortable. In today’s blog, your Newport Beach, CA, dentist explains the different kinds of sedation and how each one can help you relax as we conduct our procedures.
Nitrous Oxide
Nitrous oxide — or laughing gas — is one of the most common dental sedatives. It is safe, effective, and works quickly. Your dentist or dentist mixes it with oxygen and you breathe it through your nose via a small mask. It helps alleviate anxiety and also decreases potential pain by slightly slowing down your nervous system. A major advantage of nitrous oxide is that it allows you to stay awake, so you can hear and answer any questions your dentist or dentist asks you. Once your procedure is over, the gas should be completely out of your system after you breathe in oxygen for about five minutes.
Oral Sedation
If you need something a little stronger than nitrous oxide, your oral healthcare professional may suggest oral sedation. This route consists of you taking a pill to relieve anxiety. You typically take it before you arrive at your appointment, so it is working by the time you get there. Because it has lingering effects, you will need someone to drop you off and pick you up. This can be a good option for more invasive, yet non-surgical procedures like any one of the cosmetic services we provide.
IV Sedation
This is the strongest form of sedation we offer. While you will still be conscious when receiving it, you will be completely relaxed and a little bit out of it. Because of this, it is ideal for more invasive procedures and for patients that have significant phobias of dental procedures. It is administered intravenously into your bloodstream, and it starts working within minutes. It can cause amnesia, so you will not remember the procedure by the time its effects wear off. It is also administered continuously, so you can be relaxed for as long as necessary — meaning that your dentist or dentist can perform multiple procedures in a single visit. Like oral sedation, this form will require someone drives you home afterward.
Contact Us To Learn More About Sedation Dentistry
If you are prone to anxiety when you visit your dentist, we can help keep you relaxed. To ask any questions or to schedule an appointment, please call Balboa Dental Surgery in Newport Beach, CA, today at 949-630-0143. We look forward to hearing from you.
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