When our team sees patients for oral surgery, including dental implant placement and tooth extraction, we always take time to ensure the experience is a comfortable and positive one. Which is why we offer patients help with sedation dentistry. In today’s blog, your Londonderry, NH, dentist talks about improving comfort with dental sedation.
When to Receive Sedation
When does a patient need to receive sedation? We may recommend this for people with dental anxiety that could make undergoing treatment a difficult process. Likewise, if you have special needs or an overactive gag reflex, this could also be helpful. If you are undergoing more extensive treatments, such as the placement of dental implants, bone grafting, or tooth extraction, then this could ensure a comfortable experience. But how do we choose the right option for you?
Choosing Which Option is Right for You
We will choose a calming solution for you based on a number of different factors. For example, your age, weight, and medical history are a factor, as are the medications you are currently taking. We also look at your anxiety levels too!
Three Calming Options
We have three different options to choose from. A mild option is nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas. This is administered through a mask over the nose, the patient breathing in a gas and entering a state of calm and euphoria. We can adjust the levels during treatment and the effects wear off once the procedure ends, so you may be able to drive yourself home or even return to work or school.
Should you require a more substantial state of calm, we could offer oral sedation. The patient takes a pill or liquid prior to the procedure and enters a deeper state of calm, one with little to no memory of the procedure. The effects take time to wear off completely, so have someone available to bring you home. You may need to avoid food and drink in the hours before the procedure begins.
The deepest state of calm is IV, which is administered intravenously and helps you enter a deep and sleep-like state. You have little to no memory of the procedure, and again will need to have someone on hand to take you home afterward.
If you have any questions about our sedation options, or if you need to schedule your first visit of 2025, then contact our team today to learn more.
Schedule An Appointment
If you need treatment and want to learn more about sedation dentistry, then contact our team today. You can schedule an appointment with the team at My Dentist in Londonderry, NH, today by calling 603-965-3407. Let’s make 2025 the year your smile truly shines!
