Types of Dental Sedation
Hillsboro, OR
 A significant part of dental restoration is ensuring that our patients are comfortable. We are not trying to cause pain or discomfort, in fact quite the opposite, we are hoping to relieve it. Our staff at Century Dental have taken many measures to help create a calm atmosphere from providing clear explanations, education, and providing various medically induced pain relief and anxiety reducing options depending on your needs. We can help you get the dental work you need without the fear of pain or anxiety of having work done.
Dental Anesthetic and Sedation Options
Depending on a variety of aspects, we have the right anesthetic or sedation option for you. It’s important for the patient to make our office aware of any allergies, medications, medical conditions, or behavior altering substances, that they may have, even if it seems irrelevant, it could change the options that we make available..
Our options include:
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Local Anesthetic: The most commonly used pain relief medication used is a local anesthetic. It is provided through a needle with a minimal prick. It provides a numbing sensation at the specific location having work completed. If the idea of a needle induces anxiety, we have other options.
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Nitrous Oxide: Nitrous oxide is also frequently used while dental work is being completed. It is given through a mask that covers your nose and is inhaled. It is known more by the phrase laughing gas. In the past, a much higher dosage of nitrous oxide was used that induced this euphoric laughing sensation, but it was not found to be terribly safe. Today, we blend the nitrous oxide with significant levels of oxygen, about 50%. The result is a much safer sedation. The patient still receives analgesic for short-term pain relief, and the effects dissipate nearly immediately following the removal of the mask.
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Oral Sedative: We are able to prescribe an oral sedative to provide a calming sensation. Patients take the oral sedative prior to their appointment. The medication is not designed to induce sleep, but often a patient feels so calm that they fall asleep. We have several different forms of oral sedatives, so if you have had a bad reaction to one previously, let us know, we have other forms. It is important to note that we can not allow a patient to drive themselves to or from our office if they have taken an oral sedative, they will need to arrange a driver.
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IV Sedation: We provide an IV Sedation that is a conscious sedative, it is not a medically induced sleep. This can be confusing because often the patient becomes so calm with it that they fall asleep. Prior to being sedated with IV, we may ask you to refrain from eating or drinking for a period of time beforehand. It is important to note that the patient will need to arrange a driver following IV sedation as sleepiness can continue for a period of time following surgery. |
Besides your comfort, the benefit of sedation often means that we are able to accomplish more work in one appointment. The more we can get done, the less office visits needed.
Your comfort is a priority to us, patients who are afraid of dental work tend to ignore serious problems, and we don’t want our patients to ignore problems, they will only get worse. We are happy to discuss your concerns and help find the right sedation for the treatment being done.
For more information on sedation dentistry, contact our Hillsboro at (971) 708-1608.
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