Sedation Dentistry

If you are amongst the 40 million Americans who have apprehension about going to the dentist or have put off dental care s because of anxieties, help is on the way. Fortunately, there are several sedation dentistry treatment options available to ease your concerns.

There are several safe types of sedation including:

• Nitrous: You breathe nitrous oxide -- otherwise known as "laughing gas" -- combined with oxygen through a mask that's placed over your nose. The gas helps you relax. Your dentist can control the amount of sedation you receive, and the gas wears off quickly within 5-10 minutes. This is the only form of sedation where you may be able to drive yourself home after the procedure.
• Oral sedation: Our provider will prescribe you medication to take, depending on the effect we are looking for, they may give you medication to take the night before and hour prior to your appointment, or just 1 hour prior to your appointment. The pill can make you drowsy, but you will still be awake. Everyone reacts differently to these types of medications and receive different results. You will need a driver for your appointment that needs to stay throughout the procedure.
• IV Sedation/Monitored Anesthesia Care (MAC): Additional screening is required. In our office we utilize a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist to provide anesthesia through an IV using different medications while the provider is also monitoring your care. There are multiple levels of IV sedation that can be provided depending on the treatment needs of the patient. All levels will keep the patient comfortable throughout the procedure and typically they have little to no recollection of the procedure after. Depending on the level of IV sedation provided, the patient may be able to answer questions or hear the team talking during treatment but usually will not remember anything about the appointment afterwards. When deeper levels of anesthesia are administered; the patient will have no recollection of the treatment, and will not be able to respond. As with oral sedation, you will need a driver for your appointment that needs to stay throughout the procedure.

Each level of sedation comes with its own set of risks which will be explained to you in detail prior to any treatment, but in our office, we go above and beyond with our prescreening and multiple ways of monitoring to have safe, successful, and comfortable sedation for our patients. We are very happy that we are able to offer these options for our patients so that we can accommodate all of our patients! 

Our team at Metro Dental Associates is here to help you overcome your dental anxiety and regain your confidence about visiting the dentist. Our personalized approach offers several safe ways to assist you in receiving treatment while remaining relaxed. For more information on Comfort Dentistry call Metro Dental Associates at 616-531-6240 or make an appointment.