Relax Through Your Dental Visit
If dental anxiety, fear, a strong gag reflex, or difficulty sitting through treatment has kept you from getting the care you need, sedation dentistry may help you feel more relaxed and comfortable during your visit.
At Alexandria Smile Center, Dr. John Moylan and our team understand that dental treatment can feel overwhelming for some patients. We take a compassionate, judgment-free approach and will discuss options to help you feel calm, comfortable, and confident about your care.
Whether you need a simple procedure or more extensive treatment, our goal is to help make your experience as stress-free as possible. You are not alone—many patients experience dental anxiety, and our goal is to help you feel comfortable every step of the way.
Types of Dental Sedation
Every patient is different. Some patients simply want help relaxing, while others may benefit from deeper levels of sedation for longer or more complex treatment. We will discuss your health history, treatment needs, and comfort level to determine the best option for you.
Nitrous oxide, often referred to as “laughing gas,” is a form of conscious sedation that’s administered as a gas through a breathing mask. You’ll stay awake and responsive during treatment but will feel relaxed and numb throughout your procedure.
Nitrous oxide is an excellent option for patients that have trouble staying still and calm for the duration of their treatment. It’s also effective for patients with sensitive teeth or an overactive gag reflex. When administered by a professional dentist like Dr. Moylan, nitrous oxide is extremely safe with reliable, predictable results. The effects of nitrous oxide wear off quickly, so you’ll be able to drive yourself home after your appointment.
Oral conscious sedation is administered as a sedative pill that’ll numb your senses and dull any pain during your dental treatment. While you’ll remain awake during care, the experience will be very relaxing and can feel somewhat dreamlike. You may not remember much about your procedure after your appointment.
Oral conscious sedation takes longer to create the desired effect than nitrous oxide and will require a short wait before your procedure can begin. The sedative can leave you feeling drowsy, temporarily impairing your performance and reaction time over the next several hours. For this reason, it’s crucial that you’re driven home from your appointment by a friend or family member.
IV conscious sedation is administered as a combination of sedative pills and IV sedation medications that is the ultimate in-patient solution to dental anxiety. The majority of patients do not remember the procedure, experience less post-operative discomfort and a quicker recovery.
In addition to an amazing dental experience, IV sedation allows for more dental work to be done in one sitting, reducing the number of needed appointments or even getting all of your dental treatment done in one appointment.
The sedation can leave you feeling drowsy, temporarily impairing your performance and reaction time over the next several hours. For this reason, it’s crucial that you’re driven home from your appointment by a friend or family member.
Sedation Dentistry May Help If You:
- Feel anxious or nervous about dental visits
- Have had difficult dental experiences in the past
- Have a strong gag reflex
- Have difficulty getting numb
- Need multiple procedures completed
- Have avoided dental treatment for years
Ready for a More Comfortable Dental Experience?
If fear, anxiety, or discomfort has kept you from getting the dental care you need, we’re here to help. Call Alexandria Smile Center today to discuss whether sedation dentistry may be right for you.