Not all visits to your dentist need to result in stress or worry. In fact, there are sedatives that can be used to give you some of your most relaxing health care visits of your life. If you would rather spend an office visit in a worry-free environment, sedation may be the best choice for you. Listed below are the basics of sedation dentistry:

– Anesthetic Sedation: Deep sedation occurs with the use of general anesthesia, which is often considered the strongest form of sedative, as it puts patients into a deep sleep where they persist until the sedative has completely worn off.

– Inhaled Minimal Sedation: The gas mixture used in inhaled sedation consists of oxygen and nitrous oxide, a concoction known as laughing gas, which is inhaled and typically is used when a patient needs to be relaxed.

– Intravenous Sedation: Intravenous sedation occurs when a sedative is inserted directly into the bloodstream, which is extremely effective and extremely fast-acting. Dosage amounts can be changed to achieve the desired effect, including placing the patient into a sleep state.

– Oral Sedation: Oral sedation is given with the use of pills and tablets to achieve the desired effect. This process is easily adjustable based on dosage and desired effect, but it does take a while for the sedative to take effect, often up to as much as an hour.

If you would like to schedule an appointment with Stanley Hometown Dentistry LLC to see if could benefit from a sedation dentistry, please call our dentist office in Stanley, Wisconsin at 715-644-3601. Dr. James Gunelson and the rest of our team look forward to improving your smile for many years to come!