Sedation Dentist – Dublin, OH

What Is Oral Conscious Sedation?

This form of sedation dentistry involves taking a prescribed pill that is designed to relax the nerves and keep patients calm before undergoing complex or extensive procedures. In most cases, we’ll instruct you to take the sedative a certain amount of time before your arrival, allowing plenty of time for the medication to take effect. After 15 minutes or so, you should start to feel your body relax, and you’ll be calmer while getting the dental care you need.

How Does Oral Conscious Sedation Work?

Nervous patients can experience a deeper level of relaxation with oral sedation while still technically remaining conscious during their visit. For instance, you’ll be able to respond to minor questions or commands from your dentist, but you’ll typically feel somewhat drowsy and euphoric. During the procedure, our team will constantly monitor your comfort to ensure that you are safe and comfortable throughout your appointment.

Since oral sedation can last for several hours longer than your appointment, you won’t be able to drive yourself to or from the office. Instead, you’ll need to arrange for a family member or trusted friend to do this. After returning home, be sure to get lots of rest and avoid strenuous activity for the remainder of the day.

Who Is a Good Candidate for Oral Conscious Sedation?

Here’s a look at situations where oral conscious sedation can be especially helpful:

• Individuals with an overly sensitive or pronounced gag reflex
• Patients who find it hard to remain still during dental visits
• Those who experience anxiety or fear around dental care
• Anyone who’s had a stressful or unpleasant dental experience before
• People who struggle to keep their mouths open for extended periods
• Patients who have difficulty achieving numbness with local anesthesia
• Those needing several treatments or longer, more complex procedures

Who Is a Good Candidate for Nitrous Oxide?

Our team will want to ensure that every patient feels as comfortable as possible during their dental procedures. For that, we offer a mild and effective way to do this with nitrous oxide sedation, which is typically used for those who struggle with dental anxieties or fears. Of course, other reasons you might be eligible for this form of sedation are if you:

• Have trouble sitting still during appointments
• Struggle with a strong gag reflex
• Are fearful of needles
• Have difficulty getting numbed via local anesthesia

In most cases, nitrous oxide is a safe method of sedation for the majority of patients. However, those who are pregnant, have sinus congestion, or have certain respiratory conditions could potentially be ineligible to receive the medication. Our team will do our best to find an alternative way to help you feel at ease during your visit.

How Does Nitrous Oxide Work?

Nitrous oxide involves patients wearing a nasal mask that’s attached to a machine. The device is designed to gently allow you to breathe in a gas that’s a combination of oxygen and nitrous oxide, which will help you relax during your appointment. After a few minutes or less of breathing it in, you should expect to feel entirely comfortable and even euphoric or almost drowsy.

Our team will then monitor your vitals to ensure you’re safe and relaxed while undergoing your treatment. Once you’ve finished, we’ll remove the nose mask, and you should feel the effects of nitrous oxide begin to wear off after several moments. Since you’ll feel back to normal at the end of your visit, you should even be able to drive yourself to and from the office.

Aftercare for Nitrous Oxide

Even though the effects of nitrous oxide fade quickly, our team will still request that you remain at the office for a few minutes after your appointment so that we can monitor you. We’ll need to make sure that you’ve had plenty of time to recuperate so that you can safely take yourself home. Also, you should still be able to continue your daily activities after receiving laughing gas, so you won’t have to worry about a lengthy recovery time. Depending on the complexity of your dental treatment, you might have to take it easy for a while, and don’t hesitate to reach out to our team if you notice anything abnormal or uncomfortable after your appointment.