Comprehensive Guide to East Texas Sedation Options

If you face anxiety or fear at the thought of going to the dentist, you should know that there are East Texas sedation options available to help. There are dentist’s offices that provide sedation solutions focused on providing their patients with a calming, relaxing, and stress-free experience. When you’re able to get the necessary support to relax, it’s so much easier to receive the dental treatment that you need. Learn more about these options in East Texas below. 

Common Types of Sedation in East Texas

You will find that every office offering sedation will have their own niche or offering. It’s good to have a variety of choices, rather than only leaning on a single solution for every patient who needs sedation support. 

At Smith Dental Care, we offer three types of sedation:

• Oral Sedation
• Nitrous Oxide
• Intravenous (IV)

Learn more about each of these methods below. 

Oral Sedation

Oral sedation is a common choice for someone who needs to be able to relax before they can bring themselves to even come to the office. This is a prescribed pill medication that can be taken 30-60 minutes before coming to the dentist. Your provider will give you specific instructions on when and how to take it. 

There are different forms of medicine that can be used for this. The meds help provide a deep level of relaxation that may also make the person feel groggy or sleepy. The patient remains conscious and probably won’t remember much about going to the dentist. 

You will need to arrange for a ride if you use this method because of the groggy side effects. 

Nitrous Oxide Intravenous

Nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, is a mild form of sedation that a person will inhale through a small mask over their nose. The gas helps to relax patients and reduce anxiety throughout the procedure. The person will feel some euphoria and calmness until the mask is removed. When removed, the effects fade quickly. 

This is most common for short procedures, because it works quickly and has limited side effects. 

Intravenous

IV sedation uses medicine placed directly into your bloodstream through controlled means. This is used when a deeper level of sedation is needed. The person will remain conscious, but typically drifts off to sleep. It is controlled in-office by a board certified anesthesiologist. 

This method is typically reserved for someone who faces severe anxiety or when a longer and more involved procedure is happening. 

General anesthesia is another available form of sedation. We do not provide this in our office, as it must be monitored closely by a skilled anesthetist in a hospital setting. General anesthesia is typically only required for complex procedures or dental surgeries, and the patient will be unconscious until such time as they are woken up. 

Benefits of Sedation

Sedation provides benefits for the patient and the provider. These options help settle anxiety and invoke calmness that is needed to get through a procedure.

These are some of the benefits: 

• Reduce Anxiety: reduces and eliminates anxiety for dental visits and procedures, allowing a patient to feel more comfortable and at ease
• Minimize Discomfort: sedation will help provide calm and anxiety but also contributes to minimizing physical discomfort. It can be especially beneficial for patients with pain, sensitivity, or a low pain tolerance
• No Bad Memories: with sedation, the patient will feel as though things happened quickly and smoothly. Even with oral sedation, the patients typically do not remember the treatment, or won’t remember most of it
• Fewer Appointments: with sedation, a provider can typically get through everything they need to in one appointment, because you are calm and easier to work with. This helps minimize the need for multiple appointments for one issue

Choosing Sedation Solutions

Before you choose a sedation method, work with your provider to determine what they offer and what they would recommend. You will need to work closely with them throughout the planning and procedure. 

These are some things to be considered:

• Anxiety levels and needs
• Type or length of procedure
• Medical history

East Texas Sedation

At Smith Dental Care, we take great pride in offering quality East Texas sedation solutions to meet each patient’s needs. We want our patients to feel at ease and relaxed when they come to our office. We offer multiple sedation solutions, but we also strive to create a relaxing and calm atmosphere when you come in the door. 
If you struggle with dental anxiety or phobia, we’re here to help. Contact us today to schedule a consultation, and let’s get your dental needs taken care of.