Sedation dentistry,
question by question.

Almost certainly not. The sedation used in most dental offices, including ours, is conscious sedation. You are relaxed and drowsy, you can respond if we speak to you, and you are breathing on your own the entire time. It is closer to being deeply relaxed than to being switched off.

Often very little of it, and that is usually the point. Many oral sedatives have an amnesic effect, so patients recall arriving and leaving but not much in between. For someone whose anxiety is built on a bad memory, not forming a new one matters.

For a healthy patient, properly assessed and monitored, sedation is well established and very safe. The safety lives in the preparation rather than the drug: a full medical history, a review of every medication and supplement you take, appropriate dosing for your weight and health, and continuous monitoring of your oxygen, pulse and blood pressure throughout. Our sedation protocols follow DOCS Education certification, and we will decline to sedate someone if their history makes it the wrong call.

Nitrous oxide, the mildest, wears off within minutes and lets you drive yourself home — good for routine work and mild nerves. Oral sedation is a tablet taken before the appointment that produces a much deeper calm and requires someone to drive you. Deeper intravenous sedation suits long or complex appointments. Which one fits depends on the procedure length and your level of anxiety, and we decide it together.

Yes. Sedation manages anxiety; local anaesthetic manages sensation, and the two do different jobs. You will still be numbed, though sedated patients typically do not notice or remember the injection.

Nitrous clears in about five minutes. Oral sedation lingers for several hours, so plan on a driver, no work that afternoon, and nothing that requires sharp judgement until the next morning. Most patients describe the rest of the day as pleasantly foggy.

No. Sedation is also used for patients with a strong gag reflex, difficulty staying still or comfortable for long periods, sensitive teeth that resist numbing, or a long treatment plan that can be consolidated into one appointment rather than four. Efficiency is a legitimate reason on its own.

Coverage varies and is often limited, particularly when sedation is elective rather than medically necessary. We are a fee-for-service practice and will work with your insurance to obtain the maximum benefit available under your plan. You will have the cost in writing before anything is scheduled, and Cherry financing and CareCredit are available.