Sedation and Anesthesia
Relax! For some people, the mere thought of going to the dentist can in and of itself be traumatic. At Hover Dental Group, we strive to put your anxiety to rest! There are several medications available to our patients that can help to achieve relaxed, pain-free, comfortable dental visits. Our practice prides itself on not locking our patients into a one-size-fits-all treatment plan. Each patient is unique. Thus, your own personal health, your history of allergies, your sensitivity and anxiety level, and other factors are considered and discussed as we develop a sedation approach together! 1. Examples of sedation and anesthesia, not all of which are available at Hover Dental Group, include Conscious sedation, Local Anesthesia, Deep Conscious Sedation, and General Anesthesia.
Conscious Sedation
Nitrous Oxide, often referred to as “laughing gas”, is the most common sedation method in dentistry today. Generally used for dental cleaning appointments, this method of sedation is one of the most comfortable approaches for the majority of Hover Dental Group patients. In other instances a patient may be prescribed an anti-anxiety medication to be taken prior to their procedure. Again, each patient is unique, and our recommendations will be made based on the type of procedure you are preparing for in concert with your unique needs and medical condition.
Local Anesthesia
Local anesthesia is quite simply a medication that is administered directly to the site of the dental procedure with the goal of inducing an absence of pain sensation. It is most frequently used when filling cavities or in combination with other sedation methods.
Deep Conscious Sedation
Using this method, sedatives are administered directly into the blood stream by an anesthesiologist. It is generally used in concert with local anesthesia, as while under deep conscious sedation you can still feel pain. There can also be more acute amnesia as a side effect of this method. Deep conscious sedation has the advantage of being sedation method that can be more readily altered on the fly, meaning the anesthesiologist can increase the dose as required throughout your procedure.
General Anesthesia
One of the most drastic forms of sedation, general anesthesia puts you under completely, to the point that you will not feel any pain at all, even without local anesthesia. This method can be advantageous because our patient loses their “gag reflex” and particularly in longer or more traumatic procedures, minimizes the stress felt by our patient. This technique must be administered by highly trained medical anesthesiologist who can monitor vital signs throughout the duration of the sedation procedure.
