Sedation

 Our office is pleased to offer patients multiple sedation options for your treatment.

Nitrous Oxide

Nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, is used daily in dentistry for its anesthetic and analgesic effects. Nitrous oxide is not intended to put the patient to sleep, rather it used to make the patient feel more relaxed. The level of the nitrous oxide is titrated by the doctor. When the treatment is complete, the nitrous oxide will be flushed from the patient’s body by breathing oxygen for a period of approximately 10 minutes. 

Oral Conscious Sedation

Oral conscious sedation is a pill that is administered in our office approximately one hour prior to the start of the patient’s procedure. The most commonly used oral sedative in our office is Halcion (a close relative of Valium). The advantage of oral conscious sedation is the patient is typically in a more relaxed state than nitrous oxide alone and frequently the patient will have no recollection of the procedure. The patient will require a driver to take them home at the conclusion of the procedure and stay with them until the effects of the medication have worn off. (PostOp Instructions)

Moderate IV Sedation

Moderate IV sedation is a deeper level of sedation than oral conscious sedation. Typically, multiple medications are administered through an IV line. A sedative (Versed) is often times combined with a narcotic (e.g. Fentanyl) and the compounding effect is a deeper level of sedation than nitrous oxide or oral conscious sedation alone. Similar to the oral conscious sedation, the patient will require a driver to take them home at the conclusion of the procedure and to stay with them until the effects of the medications have worn off. (PostOp Instructions)

Deep Sedation

Deep sedation involves the use of general anesthetic induction agents (e.g. Propofol). Typically the patient is not intubated and is breathing freely on their own. Our office partners with a dental anesthesiologist to provide this service. This is the deepest level of sedation that is provided in the office setting. Due to the deeper level of sedation, we feel it is best for the anesthesiologist to focus on the patient’s sedation while we focus on the procedure.