Oral Sedation
Oral sedation is a popular form of sleep dentistry that causes patients to feel as if they are napping right through their dental appointment.
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Our patients typically request oral sedation when they are anxious about dental care, want to reduce discomfort, or want to have all of their treatment completed in just one visit.
- Anxiety or fear of going to the dentist
- Large amounts of treatment or more lengthy procedures
- The desire to relax throughout their entire appointment
- Needs that prevent them from sitting for longer periods of time
- Sensitive gag reflex
Patients that choose to have oral sedation include people with:
- Dr. Nguyen can perform all of your necessary dental work in one visit.
- Unlike general anesthesia, oral conscious sedation makes it so you can speak and breathe on your own during your dental procedure.
- Your semi-state of unconsciousness enables you to respond to Dr. Nguyen’s questions during the dental procedure, if needed
- Your dental work that took hours to complete will feel like it was only minutes.
- Needle? With oral conscious sedation, you will not care – another great benefit.
The Oral Sedation Process
Dr. Nguyen prescribes a sedative for the patient to take approximately one hour prior to their appointment. We typically use common prescription sedatives for this process – please let us know what existing medications you are on or if you have any drug allergies.
At the time of treatment you will be escorted into the treatment room by one of our team members. Patients are able to respond to simple questions, as well as walk themselves into the treatment room, but typically do not remember any of this. It is almost as if they are dreaming right through their appointment. Although you’ll be able to answer very short yes or no questions, most people won’t remember a single thing about their treatment once it’s over. That’s because the sedatives are also amnesiacs, meaning they often result in a foggy memory when it comes to what actually happened during the treatment.
Your safety is our top priority. During the visit your vital signs will be constantly monitored by Dr. Nguyen and staff. We ask that you have a driver to take you to the appointment and drive you home after the appointment.
Recovery
Oral sedation can take several hours to fully wear off. Gradually you will “come to” shortly after the appointment but will still feel very groggy. For this reason, patients will need to have someone accompany them to and from their appointment until the medication effects are gone.