Sedation Dentistry - Alleviating Pain & Anxiety
Are you having concerns about your next dental procedure? Do dental visits give you anxiety in general? Well sedation dentistry might be your best option in eliminating any concerns! No matter how gentle we promise to be, we still see patients in Cary and surrounding areas who are terrified of any kind of dental work. Even a simple checkup can make people tremble with fear.
Oral hygiene and dental care are essential to your body’s health. We want to ensure that you get the treatment you need – without the anxiety you would normally feel during a visit. This is why we offer many options for sedation dentistry that are both safe and highly effective. Dr. Zhang & Dr. Jenkins are highly trained in both oral conscious sedation, as well as inhalation sedation.
Conscious Sedation
Conscious Sedation is defined as a minimally depressed level of consciousness that retains the patient’s ability to independently and continuously maintain an airway and respond appropriately to physical stimulation and verbal command and that is produced by the pharmacological or nonpharmacologic method or combination thereof.
Sedation Dentistry, sometimes called Relaxation Dentistry, refers to the way dentists manage pain and anxiety during dental appointments. Unlike General Anesthesia where a patient is completely unconscious, asleep, and unable to respond, patients under Conscious Sedation, are able to respond to commands and breath on their own.
There are many different ways that sedation drugs can be administered. Here at New Waverly Place Dentistry, sedation is administered in the dental office through inhalation conscious sedation, also known as Nitrous Oxide or "laughing gas". This is the most frequently used sedation method used in dentistry. All bodily functions remain normal and the person is able to breathe on their own. The patient will often fall asleep and experience some degree of amnesia about what happened during their dental appointment. Inhalation Sedation has been used by dentists for many years.
Advantages of Nitrous Oxide:
- Works well for mild to moderate anxiety
- Rapid onset
- Flexible duration can be used for any appointment length
- Absolute control. It is easy to quickly control the level of sedation which may be altered moment to moment.
- People recover quickly
- Very few side effects
- There is an analgesic effect
- You can drive yourself to and from your dental appointment
- You can return to normal activities immediately
Disadvantages of Nitrous Oxide:
- Severe anxiety may require a deeper level of sedation
- Not indicated for people who have respiratory problems (Asthma and Emphysema)
- Claustrophobic patients often do not like anything covering their nose
Our Goal Is To Make Patients Feel As Comfortable As Possible!
At New Waverly Place Dentistry, our goal is to make sure our patients are as comfortable as possible during all dental procedures. If you have any questions about sedation dentistry, please feel free to call our office with any questions. We're always happy to help alleviate any anxiety about your dental visit.