Sedation Dentist – Thornville, OH
Feel Comfortable During Your Visits
Our sedation dentist in Thornville, OH provides excellent service for dental patients who are receiving lengthy treatments, coming in for emergency dental care, or experiencing fear or anxiety. Our compassionate dental team cares about your comfort and emotional well-being, so call us today to find out how we can help.
Why Choose Thornville Dental for Sedation Dentistry?
- Comfort Amenities Available
- Fast-Acting Nitrous Oxide Sedation
- Friendly Dental Team That Puts Comfort First
Oral Conscious Dental Sedation
Oral conscious sedation is the strongest method that we offer, and it’s ideal for patients who are undergoing prolonged or multiple procedures. It’s also great for those with severe dental phobia. Before your appointment, we’ll prescribe a two pills for you to take. One the night before and the second about an hour before you arrive at our dental office. That way, when it’s time for your procedure, you’ll feel at ease and comfortable. Because the effects of the medication can take several hours to wear off, you’ll need to have someone prepared to drop you off and pick you up from your appointment.
Nitrous Oxide Sedation
Have you heard of nitrous oxide? If not, it may be because you know it by another name: laughing gas. This mild, but effective type of dental sedation is designed to alleviate stress, nerves, and anxiety so that you can get the preventive, restorative, or emergency dental care you need as quickly and painlessly as possible. If you want to learn more about nitrous oxide, including how it works, then read on!
Who is a Good Candidate for Nitrous Oxide?
The only way to find out for certain if you’re a candidate is by coming in for a consultation with our dedicated Thornville dentist, Dr. Smith. That said, a large percentage of patients are a candidate for nitrous oxide (including children) since it’s so mild. So, it’s worth scheduling an appointment if you struggle with dental-related anxiety, a fear of needles, considerable sensitivity, or something else that makes you think you would benefit from nitrous oxide.
How Does Nitrous Oxide Work?
On the day of your appointment, you’ll come into our office and a friendly member of our team will take you back to the treatment room. Then, they’ll answer any questions you have while helping you get settled into the treatment chair. At this time, the nitrous oxide will be administered. To do so, we will place a small nose mask on your face that will allow you to breathe in a colorless, odorless gas. Within less than a minute, you’ll feel a euphoric and calming wave wash over you, making the rest of your visit smooth and anxiety-free.
Note: Nitrous oxide sedation does not put you to sleep. As a result, you will be able to ask questions and respond to verbal cues from our team throughout your time in the treatment chair.
Aftercare for Nitrous Oxide
Now you might be wondering, “What happens next?” When Dr. Smith has completed your treatment, he will let you know before removing the mask. Within minutes, the effects will quickly wear off – you won’t even feel groggy! As a result, you can drive yourself home and go on with the rest of your day as you normally would. Of course, if you have any questions regarding the preventive, restorative, or emergency care you received, you’re more than welcome to give us a call.
Sedation Dentistry FAQs
What Does It Feel Like to be Sedated at the Dentist?
How you experience dental sedation – what it “feels like” – will depend on the sedative you get. After all, different medications can produce different sensations.
Say you receive nitrous oxide, for example. This sedative will probably make you feel relaxed, light, or even euphoric. It can also prompt some patients to experience a tingling sensation in their limbs. Occasionally, nitrous oxide will give a patient a fit of the giggles.
In contrast, oral conscious sedation offers a more “intense” experience. It gives patients an even deeper sense of relaxation, to the point of making it tricky to speak or stay awake. Patients will sometimes report that this method causes a feeling of bodily heaviness as well.
How Long Does Sedation Dentistry Last?
Like its sensations, how long sedation dentistry lasts can vary. The exact timeline of your own is based on which type of sedative you receive.
Nitrous oxide sedation is famous for its short-lived effects. Within five minutes of getting off the gas, the light and euphoric feeling it provides you will have ended. This sedation method thus leaves you well enough to drive yourself home (or back to work), with no lingering drowsiness afterward.
On the other hand, oral conscious sedation can persist for a while. The pill’s effects are known to remain active for a whole day, often requiring a night’s rest to “sleep off.” That means you shouldn’t drive or operate heavy machinery for 24 hours after getting oral conscious sedation. (Instead, have a friend or family member drive you home after your appointment.)
Does Dental Sedation Make You Tell Secrets?
Though rumors and gossip say otherwise, dental sedation isn’t a “truth serum.” Receiving it won’t make you tell deep, dark secrets you don’t want to reveal.
Dental sedatives just make you more relaxed than usual. At most, this effect only leads to slightly lower inhibitions and a sense of emotional ease. Such things shouldn’t make you say something you normally wouldn’t, especially if the topic relates to something private.
Of course, you wouldn’t need to fear if you did mention a secret. Our sedation dentist in Thornville values confidentiality and doesn’t share any information you don’t approve.
Am I a Good Candidate for Sedation Dentistry?
While nearly anyone can receive sedation dentistry, it benefits some patients more than others. You’d do well to consult our team to see if you’re a truly good candidate for dental sedatives.
The patients most suited for sedation dentistry usually have one (or more) of the following:
- Mild to Moderate Anxiety – Sedatives can keep nervous patients calm enough to receive care.
- Low Pain Tolerance – Dental sedatives reduce your ability to feel aches and soreness. For those with a low pain tolerance, such an effect makes sedation dentistry worthwhile.
- A Sensitive Gag Reflex – An overactive gag reflex prevents dentists from doing their work. That said, sedation dentistry can ease it enough to make treatment possible.