Sedation Dentistry – Copperas Cove, TX

Oral Conscious Sedation

Maybe you have a strong dental phobia. If so, that’s all right – plenty of people fear the dentist’s office! There’s thus no reason to feel ashamed. Even so, you shouldn’t let this fear keep you from crucial dental care. Luckily, you could get oral conscious sedation for your next visit. This dentistry option helps you stay calm during treatment. To learn more about its features, continue reading or call our office today!

What is Oral Conscious Sedation?

Put simply, oral conscious sedation is a method for treating dental anxiety. It’s known for being a tad more potent than other methods. As such, dentists usually suggest it for adults with moderate nervousness, fear, or similar discomforts.

Compared to nitrous oxide sedation, the oral conscious approach doesn’t use masks. Instead, it consists of the dentist prescribing a pill to their patient. This medicine (Valium, Ativan, or Halcion) is taken just before the visit, leading to long-lasting effects. More specifically, it produces a deep relaxation about fifteen minutes after ingestion.

How Does Oral Conscious Sedation Work?

Oral conscious sedation doesn’t involve a complicated setup. In truth, it’s easy to implement for most dental procedures.

As referenced earlier, this sedation begins with taking a pill before treatment. Once you’ve done so, you’ll feel very calm and relaxed within minutes. (You might even be so at ease that you don’t remember the procedure afterward.) The dentist and their team will then proceed with care as these effects occur. They’ll also monitor your vitals for possible abnormalities so you stay safe.

Remember: the sedative won’t put you to sleep. Per its name, it’ll leave you conscious enough to respond to the dentist’s instructions. However, you should expect to feel slightly dizzy after treatment. Consequently, you’ll want someone to drive you home from our office. You could get into a severe and harmful car accident otherwise.

Are You a Good Candidate for Oral Conscious Sedation?

Really, it doesn’t take much to qualify for oral conscious sedation. Decently healthy adults are often good candidates. For them, the service won’t have any lasting complications.

However, some people benefit more from this sedation than others. You’re especially ideal for it if you:

Consistently experience dental fear, anxiety, or nervousness

Often cancel or reschedule dental visits due to unease over bad news

Suffer from an overly-sensitive gag reflex

Need multiple dental procedures or one longer treatment for a single visit

Struggle to keep your mouth open or sit still during treatment

Don’t react well to local anesthesia

Have had poor dental experiences in the past

Nitrous Oxide Dental Sedation

You might have heard nitrous oxide referred to as laughing gas. This form of sedation is suitable for patients of all ages and is recommended for those who only have mild to moderate anxiety regarding dental treatment. You’ll inhale the nitrous oxide mixed with oxygen through a face mask throughout the procedure, putting you in a state where you won’t recognize pain. The effects will subside quickly afterwards, so you’ll be able to drive yourself home.

Learn More About Nitrous Oxide

Candidates
for Sedation Dentistry

We may recommend dental sedation if any of the following criteria apply to you:

• You are extremely anxious whenever you visit the dentist, even if it’s just for a routine checkup.
• You have particularly sensitive teeth and gums that make even the gentlest dental procedures unusually painful.
• You find yourself bothered by the smells and sounds of a dentist’s office.
• You have a strong gag reflex that could get in the way of dental care.
• You are scheduled to have a long procedure performed, and you have trouble sitting still for long periods of time.

Benefits of
Sedation Dentistry

The most obvious benefit of dental sedation is the anxiety relief that it provides. Even the most nervous patients find that they are able to go through with their dental procedures thanks to the relaxation that a well-chosen sedative can provide. In the case of oral conscious sedation, the amnesiac effect of the medication can be useful in stopping the development of a phobia, since you won’t have any new memories that could fuel your anxiety.

Sedation Dentistry Aftercare

With nitrous oxide, you don’t have to worry about aftercare since the effects wear off within a few minutes. In the case of oral conscious sedation, though, you should plan to spend the rest of the day recovering. Make sure that there’s someone else to drive you home and keep an eye on you. Depending on the type of care you received, we might give you additional instructions for recovery. Be sure to let us know of any unexpected developments.

Sedation Dentistry Frequently Asked Questions

If you have never been sedated during a dental treatment before, no doubt you’ll have plenty of questions about the process. We have listed some of the most common questions and answers below, but our team is always ready to lend an ear to other concerns that you might have.