Types of Dental Sedation

Sedation is a common treated administered nowadays in dentistry and extremely beneficial to the fearful, anxious, or time constrained patient who desires extensive work in a comfortable, short amount of time. Please see below to learn about the different types of sedation offered.

Types of Sedation

There are 3 different types of sedation:

1. - The lightest form of sedation is nitrous oxide (laughing gas). This produces a mild sense of relaxation.

2. - Oral sedation is a moderate form of sedation. This form of sedation typically uses two pills taken before the dental visit to produce a deep state of relaxation. It is best used for short appointments, because once the drug reaches its peak state of relaxation it slowly begins to wear off.

3. - The deepest form of sedation is IV sedation (sleep dentistry). This form of sedation uses pain relieving and sedative drugs to create a sleep like state where the patient is virtually unaware of the dentistry being preformed. Most patients have little or no memory of the visit.

Only about 4% of dentists have the training and licensing to provide IV Sedation.

Some dentists have access to all of the above forms of sedation to help a patient feel comfortable before, during and after treatment.