Sedation Dentistry

Making your dental visit more comfortable

We know that many people are fearful of dental procedures and experience anxiety before and during their dental visit. To make your visit more enjoyable and relaxing, many AFFORDABLE DENTURES® practices now offer conscious sedation.

Under conscious sedation, you’ll be able to hear, see and respond to the action taking place around you in the dental office, but you are much less likely to experience anxiety from it. This also reduces your sense of pain.

There are three kinds of conscious sedation used in dentistry:

  • Oral sedation
  • Inhalation sedation
  • IV sedation

All Affordable Dentures-affiliated practices that offer sedation dentistry have a fully trained and certified staff, as required by their state dental regulations. Your dentist will work with you to determine which method is the safest choice for you.

Inhalation Sedation (Nitrous Oxide & Oxygen)

Advantages of dental inhalation sedation:

  • Works well for mild to moderate anxiety
  • Rapid onset
  • Can be used for any treatment length
  • You can drive yourself to and from your dental appointment and return to normal activities immediately

Disadvantages of dental inhalation sedation:

  • Not indicated for people who have respiratory problems (asthma and emphysema) or women in their 1st trimester of pregnancy

What is nitrous oxide and oxygen sedation?

The mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen ("laughing gas") has been used in dentistry and other medical settings for many decades.

What can I expect from inhalation sedation?

When seated in the treatment area, the dentist places a small mask over your nose to deliver the gas mixture. When your treatment is completed, the nitrous oxide is turned off and you will be given pure oxygen until you feel completely normal. When the effects of the nitrous oxide have completely worn off, you will feel fully awake and alert and will probably remember very little about your dental experience. You will be able to drive yourself home and do anything else you would do during a normal day.