SEDATION DENTISTRY

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Sedation Dentistry Helps You Relax in the Chair

Few people enjoy going to the dentist, but for some, a dental appointment creates a feeling of anxiety so strong, that it stops them from seeking the treatment that they need. Unfortunately, when you postpone treatment, your condition worsens, requiring more extensive and costly procedures.

Now, you can schedule your dental visit without anxiety. Dr. West offers sedation dentistry to help you relax, even if you suffer from the following:

• High fear of needles or going to the dentist
• Traumatic dental experiences
• Very sensitive teeth
• Complex dental problems
• Significant gag reflex
• Difficulty getting numb

 Dr. West is  specially trained and certified for IV Conscious Sedation. IV sedation administers medication directly to the bloodstream. Since IV sedation requires such specified training and is strictly overseen by our State Board of Dentistry, Dr. West is among just 4 to 6% of dentists nationwide that routinely use this method in our practice. The advantage of this method is that Dr. West can easily and instantaneously administer more medication if the patient is insufficiently sedated. Additionally, the drugs used intravenously are more effective than the same medications taken by mouth, which means that this technique is associated with more profound amnesia. This provides you with total relaxation while Dr. West performs your procedure, closely monitoring your vital signs the entire time.

 Also called pill sedation, this method involves simply taking a pill before the procedure. While used heavily by less-trained dentists due to ease of use, pill sedation is not reliable on its own and does not result in full amnesia. Additionally, the results can vary from patient to patient, making it hard to predict the effects. Although it typically uses many of the same medications as IV sedation, the pills take much longer to absorb, so this method requires a long delay in cases where more medication is needed. Since oral sedation is less effective and more unpredictable, we prefer to use it only as a mild relaxer if needed. 

Both oral sedation dentistry and IV sedation dentistry afford you the ability to achieve a healthy smile . If you are interested in these solutions, contact West Periodontics to schedule your appointment with Dr. West today.