Countless patients miss important dental appointments and skip routine preventive treatment due to dental anxiety and fear. To help our patients feel more comfortable and relaxed while they do what’s necessary to take care of their smile, we offer oral conscious and nitrous oxide sedation. Sedation dentistry is completely safe, and when paired with our team’s gentle touch and calm chairside manner, many of our patients who feel mild, moderate, or even more severe dental anxiety are able to comfortably get through their appointments thanks to sedation dentistry in Glendale, AZ.
Does the thought of visiting your dentist instantly fill you with dread? If so, you’re not alone. It’s incredibly common for people to experience dental fear or anxiety. Many decide to go without routine preventive care for that very reason, which can be harmful to their oral health. Luckily, our team at Arrowhead Dentistry offers oral conscious sedation to help make your experience as comfortable and relaxing as possible. To find out if this is the right option for you, continue reading or give our office a call today!
Known as one of the most popular forms of sedation dentistry, oral conscious sedation is commonly used because it’s extremely effective and easy to use. During your consultation, we’ll review your medical history and ask about any medications you’re currently taking. This information will help us determine whether or not this method of sedation is safe for you.
Once we confirm oral conscious sedation is the right option, you’ll be given a pill to take home with you. You’ll be instructed to take it at least an hour before your appointment. Depending on the severity of your anxiety, we’ll make sure the pill is weaker or stronger. Mild forms will simply make you feel drowsy while more extreme ones can cause you to fall into a light sleep.
Before your appointment, we’ll prescribe you a pill to take at home, so you’ll need to have a trusted friend or family member drop you off and pick you up from our dental office. By the time you arrive, you should feel the effects of the sedation kicking in, helping you feel more relaxed and at ease. Our team will monitor your vitals throughout the entire procedure to ensure your safety. The effects of oral conscious sedation linger, so you’ll need to take the day off of work to recover and rest after your visit.
The truth is, almost anyone is a good candidate for oral conscious sedation! It’s the ideal solution for people who:
For patients with mild dental anxiety or fear, nitrous oxide sedation is a great choice. This type helps you stay calm during treatment, all without causing grogginess afterward. It’s thus excellent for anyone who gets antsy at the dentist. Still, perhaps you’d like to learn more about it. If so, we at Arrowhead Dentistry can happily do so. Just keep reading to get the relevant details, or consider calling our office to book a visit!
Almost any adult, really, can qualify for nitrous oxide sedation. After all, the gas it uses is safe, effective, and without lingering side effects. That said, this sedation does help some dental patients more than others. As such, you’d make an especially good candidate if you have any of the following:
Of course, not every patient is a good nitrous oxide candidate. Someone pregnant, for instance, may want to avoid it due to its effects on their pregnancy. Meanwhile, those with sinus congestion or respiratory disease may be unable to inhale through the nose mask.
Administering nitrous oxide is pretty straightforward. Setting up the method only takes a few minutes, allowing the dentist to use it throughout your treatment.
For this sedation, you take in nitrous oxide through a nose mask. (The latter ensures you fully and deeply inhale the gas.) That way, you’ll be sedated when your dentist starts working. Once you’re under the gas effects, our team will monitor your vitals so no problems occur.
Regarding those effects, they’ll “kick in” a few minutes after you’ve inhaled the nitrous oxide. You can expect your body and mind to feel at ease, ensuring the procedure goes smoothly. Your limbs could also feel tingly or heavier than usual. Rest assured, though, the sedative will leave you lucid. Therefore, you’ll be able to respond to questions or instructions.
With nitrous oxide, you won’t need that much aftercare. It usually doesn’t cause lasting effects.
You see, the gas effects quickly fade after you’ve stopped breathing it. Once we remove your mask, you’ll feel back to normal within minutes. This sedative is thus great for a busy schedule, as it’ll let you drive back home or work the same day.
However, things can change if your treatment was a bit unique. In that case, you may need to follow specific recovery tips from your dentist. Otherwise, you may not recover as well from the procedure.
For the majority of people, sedation dentistry is completely safe. The most common, easiest, and safest method to use is nitrous oxide, as it simply involves breathing in “laughing gas” to feel relaxed. That said, our team will still need to review your medical history to determine if sedation can be administered to you. We wouldn’t want the sedative to have a negative interaction with any medications you might be currently taking. If you are eligible for this form of dentistry, we’ll closely monitor your vitals throughout your appointment—such as your heart rate, oxygen level, and blood pressure—to make sure you’re in good condition.
The answer will depend on the kind of sedation you undergo. The mildest form, nitrous oxide, will typically make you feel light, calm, and euphoric. Some people end up feeling tingling in their arms and legs, and they sometimes get the giggles, hence the nickname “laughing gas.” With oral conscious sedation, you should experience an even deeper sense of calmness. In some cases, patients may feel sleepy during their treatment, as they’ll have difficulty speaking and communicating effectively. This method is much stronger, so you may not remember much about your appointment once it’s over.
You should expect to pay more for local anesthetics compared to nitrous oxide and oral conscious sedation since there could be more chances of complications with them. Anesthesia also requires more training before it can be administered. In general, nitrous oxide and oral conscious sedation usually cost around a few hundred dollars. The price is also influenced by how long a patient is under the effects, except when it comes to oral conscious sedation, as the dosage cannot be changed once they’ve taken the pill. Fortunately, we offer financing options to help make this form of dentistry manageable for you, such as our dental membership plan and CareCredit.
Since most dental insurance companies consider sedation dentistry as a “luxury,” similar to cosmetic dental services, you likely won’t expect to receive coverage for it. Even so, there could be some exceptions in some policies, such as if a patient has a disability that makes it difficult for them to undergo dental care without sedatives. Furthermore, if you require an extensive dental procedure, such as multiple tooth extractions, then you might be eligible for coverage. Make sure to confirm the details of your plan with your provider in case they can cover a portion of your sedation treatment. You can also consult our team about alternative financing options like CareCredit and our in-house membership plan, both of which can help make sedation dentistry more affordable.