Understanding Sedation

You are a candidate for sedation dentistry, if you have:

• High Fear
• Previous traumatic dental experiences
• Problems getting numb
• Gag reflex
• Complex dental problems
• Sensitive teeth
• Limited time to complete dental care

Do you?

• Hate shots and needles
• Hate the noises and smells at the dental office.
• Feel embarrassed about your teeth

Sedation Dentistry Really Works!

Many patients have benefited from the ease and safety of Sedation Dentistry. Taking a small pill instead of using tubes or needles has been life-changing for them.

Imagine, having little or no memory of your visit, including the sights, sounds and smells.

If you believe you are in need of complex treatments, those that have in the past required as many as six to eight appointments can now be done in as little as one or two.

Understanding Sedation

1. You will not be unconscious. This is not general anesthesia as is done in a hospital operating room. You will not be intubated (breathing tube down your nose or throat) and you will NOT be on a respirator (mechanical breathing machine.)
2. All of your normal protective reflexes such as swallowing, breathing, coughing, and muscular control remain intact.
3. This procedure may cause drowsiness, make you sleepy from time to time, and you might have periods of short sleep. But its purpose is not to "put you to sleep". You will NOT be totally asleep all the time.
4. We are sedating you. During this process you most likely will not remember your treatment. But it is possible you may remember bits and pieces of the event. There are no "absolutes" here.
5. Every patient responds differently. Some people have profound effects while others experience less.
6. Most people respond in the manner described above. On rare occasions a patient may have "idiosyncratic effects". This means they may respond to sedation in a peculiar way, different from the expected norm. If this happens, you must realize that we exercise our professional judgment, leaning always to the side of conservatism and safety and reserve the right to decide to terminate the procedure before all planned services are completed if we deem necessary.