Sedation - Anxiety
If you have anxiety or fear of going to the dentist, you are not alone. Millions of people feel the exact same way. Fortunately, there are simple treatments available to help reduce your fears and anxiety of going to the dentist.
Sedation is a treatment that can make you much more comfortable during your dental procedure. With sedation, you enter a light sleep during your treatment and typically forget the procedure entirely. Dr. Holtzclaw has performed thousands of sedations. During his time in the US Navy, he even performed a number of general anesthesia cases on sailors and marines who were underoging major trauma surgery for injuries sustained during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
There are many ways to have sedation during your procedure. The simplest and most cost effective sedation is Oral Sedation. With oral sedation, you simply take a few pills similar to a Valium prior to your appointment. These pills make you sleepy, put you in a very relaxed state, and often make you forget most of the procedure entirely. The cost for oral sedation is minimal and the procedure is very safe.
A second type of light sedation is achieved with gas. Commonly referred to as “laughing gas”, Nitrous Oxide is a fast acting sedative agent that reduces anxiety with minimal side effects. In many cases, Nitrous Oxide may be combined with oral sedatives to produce a smoother and deeper type of sleep. The cost for Nitrous Oxide is minimal and the procedure is very safe.
Another type of sedation is intravenous. With intravenous sedation, drugs are delivered to you by an IV which is placed in your arm. This type of sedation typically produces a much deeper type of sleep, but it does have some drawbacks. The cost of intravenous sedation is significantly higher than that of oral sedation, sometimes nearly doubling the cost of the surgical procedure. Additionally, the risk for complications is increased as well.
With oral and intravenous sedation, you will need an escort to take you to and from your appointment as you will be unable to drive a vehicle. With Nitrous Oxide sedation, an escort is not required, but you may want to have someone drive you to and from your appointment as a precaution.
If you have any questions regarding sedation procedures for dental treatment, please call Lone Star Periodontics at 512-453-1600.