If you have dental anxiety, you may feel uneasy even attending minor preventive visits with the dentist. This could allow minor concerns to become more severe, and possibly threaten the stability of the tooth. But we can help you with sedation dentistry! In today’s blog, your Katy, TX, dentist explains how our dental sedation helps kids stay comfortable.
Choosing Which Option is Right for You
As we mentioned above, dental sedation could be used to help kids and adults alike stay comfortable and relaxed when they visit our team for treatment. This can be helpful if you’re undergoing a more extensive treatment, or if you or your child have high levels of dental anxiety. We also have experience in helping children and adults with special needs, keeping them calm and comfortable so they can undergo one or more necessary dental treatments, and enjoy the smile they deserve. We have a number of factors we take into account before we prescribe an option. We look at your medical and dental history, your anxiety levels and the presence of special needs, and also your age and weight. In addition, we have a trained anesthesiologist on hand to monitor patients if necessary!
Our Calming Agents
Our team could choose one of three options to help you or a member of your family. The most commonly prescribed option is nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas. This is administered through a mask over your nose, with the patient breathing in the gas to enter a calm state instantly. You remain conscious and the effects wear off almost immediately, you can often return to work or school. You may have little to no memory of the procedure afterward.
With oral sedation, we provide the calming agent in a pill or liquid form prior to the treatment, and this offers a deeper state of calm. You may need to avoid food and drink in the eight hours before treatment, and effects take time to wear off, so have someone on hand to bring you home afterward. The deepest form of calming is IV sedation, which is administered intravenously. You enter a sleep-like state with little to no memory from the procedure, and you will again need someone to bring you home. An anesthesiologist will monitor you throughout the process if you receive this option.
If you have any questions about how our team offers a calm and relaxed experience for patients, then contact our team today to learn more.
Your Katy, TX, Dentist Provides A Calm and Relaxed Experience
We want to help our patients who suffer from dental anxiety. For more information on keeping you comfortable during treatment, then call Lathrop Dental Center in Katy, TX at 832-437-3849 to schedule a visit.
