Are you a nervous dental patient or do you require extensive dental care? If so, you may be a candidate for dental sedation.
Dental sedation is designed to help patients relax during their dental visits and receive the care they need to maintain their oral health. The use of sedatives is an excellent option for patients who have dental phobias, anxiety, or who just want a relaxing experience during their dental procedure.
Mountainside Dental Group in Yucaipa, CA takes pride in offering numerous methods of dental sedation to help our patients relax. These different methods can be used depending on the level of anxiety the patient is feeling, the type of procedure being performed, the patient’s health history, and the preference of both the patient and the dentist. In order to learn more about these sedation methods, please take a moment to read the following information. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the office! We look forward to hearing from you.
Local Anesthesia
Local anesthesia is a type of medication that numbs a specific area of your body. It’s most commonly used during dental procedures, such as fillings, tooth extractions, and deep cleanings. Local anesthesia numbs the area around your tooth within minutes, so you won’t feel any pain during the procedure. It’s important to note that local anesthesia does not put you to sleep. You will be awake and able to follow instructions from your dentist, but you will not feel any pain. In many cases, local anesthesia is paired with sedation in order to ensure a stress-free and pain-free experience.
Oral Sedation
For patients who have dental phobias or anxiety, orally administered sedation is an excellent option and very widely available. Oral sedatives are safe and inexpensive. Medication usually costs about $10. Medications such as Valium can be provided to calm nerves and provide you with a worry-free dental experience. Oral sedatives are widely available with dentists worldwide and can be requested at the office or purchased (often without the need for a prescription) at a local pharmacy nearby.
Although you will still be conscious when you take oral sedatives, they provide mental calm and tranquility during treatment to quell nerves. Some patients are relaxed enough by oral sedatives to fall asleep during treatment.
IV Sedation
IV (intravenous) sedation or deep conscious sedation is a highly effective method of sedation for your dental care with a dentist abroad. Sedative medications are administered into the bloodstream under the care of a licensed anesthesiologist – you remain alert enough to respond to simple instructions which may be helpful to the oral surgeon – however you will remember almost nothing about the dental treatment. This is much safer than general anesthesia. A medical evaluation with the anesthesiologist will need to be done prior to commencing care to ensure that you are a good candidate for this type of sedation. Sedation and treatment can usually be scheduled for the next day. IV sedation will likely cost several hundred dollars to administer since an anesthesiologist must be available to provide this treatment.
