Sedation Dentistry
We use advanced sedation dentistry for a wide variety of in-house services. Our goal is to ensure you are comfortable, calm and relaxed through any dental treatment or dental procedure. Our team will work closely with you to assess what fears you may have and determine a treatment option that feels comfortable for you.
Sedation Dentistry in High Point, NC
Dental sedation refers to medicine that is designed to reduce physical pain associated with treatment or to reduce anxiety and help you feel more relaxed while dental work is being completed. This makes the experience more pleasant and ensures our staff can perform their duties more effectively. We offer dental sedation in the forms of laughing gas, oral conscious sedation, IV conscious sedation and general anesthesia. We bring in a dental anesthesiologist to provide many of our sedation services so you can be confident our techniques are up-to-date, safe, and tailored to your needs.
Nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, is the most minimal form of sedation and is easily administered through a small mask that dispenses a combination of nitrous oxide and oxygen, leaving you feeling relaxed.
Oral sedation is a minimal to moderate form of sedation, depending on the dosage. You will be administered a pill to take orally about an hour before your treatment. This will leave you feeling drowsy and relaxed, but will not put you to sleep.
IV sedation is a moderate to deep form of sedation in which an IV is used to administer sedative drugs. This leaves you feeling very relaxed, and many patients often fall asleep on their own. The medications do not “put you to sleep” like general anesthesia, but they make it so you won’t remember anything from the procedure. General anesthesia can be safely done in the office with our contracted dental anesthesiologist. He brings all of the necessary equipment to make this a safe experience for certain procedures.
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What is laughing gas and what does it do?
Nitrous Oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, is a commonly used method for anxiety in the dental chair. It’s colorless and odorless and its usefulness stems from its ability to quickly work and safely reverse its effects. It is widely considered a safe dental sedation method.
Read: How to Manage Being Scared and Stressed at the Dentist -
What types of anesthesia are used for dental work?
The most common types of anesthesia used are local anesthesia, IV sedation and general anesthesia. Local anesthesia is a numbing medication that is injected directly in the area that is to be treated—usually the gums around an effected tooth. IV sedation makes the patient feel very relaxed and usually leaves no memory of the actual procedure, though the patient is still conscious. It’s typically used for more intensive procedures like tooth extraction, dental implants or other surgical procedures. General anesthesia is a deeper type of anesthesia in which the patient has no reflexes and is unconscious during the procedure so has no memory of the procedure.
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What should I expect with IV Sedation?
IV sedation does a great job of managing both pain and anxiety. An advantage of IV sedation is that the medicine takes effect very quickly and also wears off in a timely manner. Since the medicine is strong, the patient will need to arrange for another person to take them home after the procedure. This is the sedation method used for most oral surgeries.
Questions About Sedation Dentistry
If you have any questions about sedation dentistry or for a consultation—contact us today.
