Sedation Dentistry FAQs – Oklahoma City, OK
We Want To Put Your Mind At Ease
At the Oklahoma City dental office of Joe Isaacson, DDS, our team goes the extra mile to provide dental care in a safe and comfortable office environment. We’re dedicated to helping patients feel welcome and comfortable during every dental office appointment. Additionally, we offer a range of sedation dentistry options for those patients with dental phobias or sensitive gag reflexes. On this page, you’ll find some answers to sedation dentistry’s most frequently asked questions, but please don’t hesitate to call our team to find out more. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
What Types of Sedation are Available?
There are a wide range of dental sedation options available, beginning with simple local anesthesia or numbing injections. From there, patients may choose to receive mild nitrous oxide sedation (“laughing gas”) or oral conscious sedation, the latter of which offers a stronger effect. Patients will remain conscious throughout all of these types of sedation while achieving a deeply relaxed state.
Who Should Consider Dental Sedation?
We may recommend that patients consider dental sedation in the following situations:
- They suffer from severe dental phobia or anxiety
- They have sensitive teeth, sensitive gums, or an overactive gag reflex
- The patient is very young and may not be able to understand their dental treatments
- Patients who want to complete numerous or complex treatments in fewer visits
- Patients who have physical or cognitive impairments that make dental treatments unsafe or uncomfortable
What is Laughing Gas?
Laughing gas is the “silly” name for nitrous oxide. This form of sedative is used to help patients relax throughout the course of treatment. Patients simply breathe deeply through a nasal mask throughout their time in the dental office. The effects of nitrous oxide sedation set in quickly, and we can easily adjust the dosage to keep you comfortable throughout your time in our office. Best of all, the effects wear away as quickly as they set in, so you can go right back to your regular routine.
What is Oral Conscious Sedation?
Prescription strength oral conscious sedative pills are ingested orally. Patients usually take this medication about an hour before their appointment, so it’s great for people whose dental anxiety makes it difficult for them to even leave home for our office. By the time you reach our practice, you’ll already feel very relaxed. Throughout the procedure, you will remain at ease and pain-free while also staying awake enough to be able to respond to questions. Following treatment, patients typically feel the effects for 12 to 24 hours and should be monitored by a friend or family member through their recovery.
How Long Does Sedation Last?
One of the benefits of nitrous oxide sedation is that the effects wear off as quickly as they set in. That means you can go right back to your daily routine immediately after treatment. You can even drive yourself to and from your dental visit.
On the other hand, oral sedation medications affect every patient differently. If you’ve ever taken sedatives in the past, you will likely have a similar experience using the oral sedatives we prescribe. If you’ve never taken an oral sedative in the past, it can be hard to determine what effect these medications will have on you. We recommend that patients plan to rest for 12 to 24 hours after taking their last dose of sedative medication. You will also need a friend or family member to drive you to and from your dental office appointment.