If your smile needs repair and enhancements, you may feel nervous about lengthy procedures and the time you'll have to spend in the dental chair.
Don't worry! You're not alone in feeling this way, and that's why we offer several options for dental sedation in Brentwood at Sullivan Dental Partners. Here's what you should know.
The Advantages of Dental Sedation
Fear and anxiety keep many patients from getting the treatment they need to maintain a healthy smile. Unfortunately, when your dental health is not optimal, your quality of life can suffer. From losing the ability to chew and eat comfortably to feeling too self-conscious to share your smile, having compromised teeth impacts your life.
Sedation dentistry allows you to get the procedures you need safely and comfortably, and we have different levels of sedation to suit your needs.
Nitrous Oxide
Also called laughing gas, nitrous oxide helps patients relax and feel at ease in the dental chair throughout their procedure without leaving them with lasting side effects.
You'll wear an inhalation mask throughout your procedure, which delivers a mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen that will help "take the edge off." Once we remove the mask after your treatment, you can leave our dental office and safely drive home or back to work and continue your day.
Oral Conscious Sedation
We deliver oral sedation with medication you take an hour before your procedure. The drug works to help you feel deeply relaxed while still allowing you to be responsive to our dentists. Many patients report feeling like they slept through their procedure.
With this type of medication, you'll need to arrange transportation to and from your appointment and plan to rest for the remainder of your day.
IV Sedation
We deliver IV sedation intravenously while closely monitoring your vital signs and heart rate throughout your procedure. Patients feel complete relaxation like they've slept through their procedures, and this type of sedation is ideal in these cases:
- Patients with special medical or physical needs
- Patients with bad gag reflexes
- Patients with severe dental phobia or anxiety
- Patients with extensive treatment plans that they'd like to complete during one visit
Contact your Brentwood dentist at (615) 373-1012 for more information about sedation dentistry and how it can help you.