Sedation

When nitrous (“laughing gas”) is not sufficient to help you feel comfortable in the dental chair, we offer I.V. and oral sedation options. Dr. Baldwin completed an additional year of residency training in dentistry where he was trained to sedate patients. We are happy to offer this service right here in our office. If you are interested in being sedated for your next visit please discuss your options with our doctors or staff.  Sedation can also help anxious children needing dental work done. When deciding if you are a good candidate for sedation, as well as the route of sedation, we will discuss:

• The type of procedure being done (We can do sedation for most all procedures including: Wisdom Teeth, Extractions, Crowns, and Fillings)
• Your overall health
• History of allergies you may have
• Your anxiety level

Our sedation options are for “conscious sedation”. This is a technical term that means you will still be “conscious” and able to communicate with us, compared to being completely “out” like in the hospital operating room. Despite being conscious, most patients will sleep through the procedure and remember very little about the whole visit. Read below about the differences between I.V. and oral sedation options and what to expect during an appointment with sedation.

I.V. Sedation

I.V. sedation allows us to control your level of sedation more than oral sedation does. An I.V. is started and used to deliver the sedation medications throughout the procedure. Patients breathing and heart vitals are monitored throughout the entire procedure. Patients will need someone to drive them home and stay with them following their appointment. No driving or big activities the rest of the day following a sedation procedure.

Oral Sedation

With oral sedation we use a combination of sedation medications taken by mouth and nitrous oxide (laughing gas). The medication in this process take longer to kick in than I.V. sedation and at times the patient is not as sedated. For patients wanting something stronger than just nitrous but not wanting to do a full on I.V. sedation this is a great option. The medications used in this process do help you to forget the appointment but on average patients will remember more than you would with I.V. sedation.

Will I still need to be numb?

Yes, conscious sedation does not get rid of the pain stimuli coming from the body. Because the patient can still communicate with us, despite being asleep or groggy, they will let us know if they are feeling any of the work we are doing.

If you are interested learning more about sedation at your next appointment please don’t hesitate to call the office and talk with our staff or schedule a consultation with Dr. Baldwin to see if it would be a good option for you.