Dental sedation is a safe and comfortable way to relax through your necessary oral health procedures. Whether you’re having dental implants placed, getting wisdom teeth removed, or undergoing full mouth reconstruction, “sleep dentistry” or sedation is extremely common.
Types of Dental Sedation
One of the most common types of dental sedation is nitrous oxide (laughing gas.) But if you’re having a more complex or lengthier procedure performed, you’ll typically want something a bit stronger, such as oral sedation or IV sedation.
IV Dental Sedation (DFW Oral Surgery)
At Texas Institute of Oral, Facial & Implant Surgery, our oral surgery specialist provides in-house IV sedation during the majority of our services. This deeper level of sedative is extremely safe and effective. It also prevents you from having to visit a hospital facility for general anesthesia, as IV sedation is a step down from it. Although it feels as if you’re sleeping through the entire appointment, you’ll still be slightly responsive.
Since most dental sedation medications also cause amnesia, you may not remember much — if anything — about your appointment.
How Dental Sedation Works
IV sedation uses an intravenous line placed directly into your arm. From there, our oral surgeon administers a specific dose of medication that drips through the line and into your bloodstream. The medication causes deep drowsiness, causing you to drift off within a matter of seconds.
Once our oral surgeon completes your required treatment, the medication drip is turned off. From there, you slowly regain your full awareness of your surroundings. However, you’ll still feel pretty groggy for the next couple of hours, so you’ll need to have a friend or family member here with you to drive you home afterward.
Is Sedation Dentistry Right for Me?
Texas Institute of Oral, Facial & Implant Surgery provides safe, specialist-administered IV sedation for our oral surgery and implant patients. Call today for an appointment.