Sedation Dentistry
Sleep Your Way to a Beautiful, Healthy Smile
Imagine going to dental visits without fear, being able to receive all your dental care in just one appointment, and achieving a beautiful smile with no pain! This is made possible using sedation dentistry, offered at Arch Dental Associates and Le Visage Cosmetic & Implant Dentistry.
For those who truly dread going to the dentist because of dental phobias, anxiety, severe gag reflexes, sensitive teeth or have limited time to spend on dental care at the dentist, sedation dentistry is the answer. Sedation dentistry allows patients to drift through even the most complex dental work in a semi-conscious state. You will feel completely relaxed through multiple procedures, without pain or discomfort, thereby turning a stressful or lengthy appointment into a pleasant and comfortable one.
Sedation dentistry is a term that refers to the use of anesthesia during treatment to put patients into a relaxed state, like sleep. Sedation is often used during procedures that require an extensive amount of time in the treatment chair. While sedation implies that patients are unconscious, this is usually not the case. Some forms of sedation dentistry simply alleviate anxiety or put patients in a sleep-like state, so that little is felt or remembered from the dental procedure.
Depending on the extent of the anxiety or phobia, varying degrees of sedation can be utilized, including conscious sedation with sedatives, inhalation nitrous oxide sedation, and intravenous (IV) sedation. These sedation dentistry techniques enable patients who might otherwise avoid the dentist to receive the dental treatment necessary for a healthy smile.
The sedation dentistry technique recommended by Drs. Singh, Natour, and Kaufman will depend upon the treatment being performed and/or the degree of your dental anxiety. They will be able to tell you if you are a candidate for moderate sedation with oral sedatives or nitrous oxide, or deeper sedation with intravenous drugs.
Oral Sedation
You swallow a small pill prior to treatment. No needles are used. You snooze through your appointment. Treatment normally requiring six to eight visits can often be done in one visit. People who have had difficulty getting numb in the past typically experience no problems when relaxed to this extent. After you return home, you will feel refreshed and back to normal within several hours.
I.V. Sedation
Known as "conscious sedation," I.V sedation places you in a “twilight sleep.” It is a safe, precise, and highly effective technique for management of moderate to more severe levels of dental fear. This method may also be used for patients who are not physically or behaviorally able to cooperate with dentistry. Administered through an intravenous drip by a trained and certified dentist, your vital signs are monitored throughout treatment. Commonly used drugs include Halcion, Valium, Versed, Fentanyl, Propofol, and Demerol, either alone or in combinations. A major benefit of some of these IV drugs is amnesia. The patient will have no memory of most, or even all, of the dental treatment. Another benefit is the comparatively quick recovery time. After treatment, you will return home to relax for the remainder of the day. You should be able to resume normal activities within 24 hours.
New York law requires a dentist to have special authorization and certification to perform I.V. Sedation. The training is extensive to qualify for this authorization.