If you or a loved one are experiencing extreme anxiety about your visit, we recommend talking with Dr. Banik or one of our team members about one of our sedation dentistry options.
Undergoing sedation allows our patients to relax and better manage the pain of any dental procedures. We especially recommend sedation to any patients who may have very sensitive teeth, are undergoing a more intense dental procedure, or have an extreme fear of shots or needles.
Sedation is a medication that puts you to sleep during your dental treatment. The amount of medication used determines your state of sedation. We can sedate you to a state of awake, but relaxed or even go with deep sedation, during which you are barely conscious, but can be woken up. Some common types of sedation medication used include nitrous oxide, oral sedatives, and intravenous sedatives.
Once you receive the sedative, you will begin to feel drowsy and relaxed. Depending on the strength, you will either stay with this feeling or fall into sleep.
At Carolina Family Dentistry, we offer the following sedation dentistry options for our patients:
Nitrous Oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, is inhaled through the nose and provides patients with a calming and relaxing sensation. This form of sedation dentistry is the most affordable solution and enables you to remain awake so you are still able to drive to and from appointments.
Oral Conscious Sedation is an option providing a deeper level of relaxation for patients through an oral medication prescribed by Dr. Banik. When the sedation medication takes effect, you will have limited or no memory of your appointment and therefore must have someone with you to drive you to and from our office. If necessary, oral conscious sedation can also be combined with nitrous oxide.
The main goal of sedation is to reduce anxiety and increase relaxation during the services. Sedation dentistry can be very beneficial for patients who are receiving certain services such as tooth extractions, root canals, and other more painful services. Additionally, phobias of the dentist can cause unwanted anxiety, therefore sedation can help ease the patient. The name for this fear is called dentophobia and ⅓ of the US population struggles with it.
Schedule an appointment
