More and more patients are discovering the difference that sedation dentistry can make in their lives. Patients with severe dental anxiety, and patients having extensive restorative work done can benefit from the soothing powers of oral conscious sedation. Our Elmhurst dentist office is proud to offer this treatment to our patients—read on to learn how it works!
Oral conscious sedation is a specific type of relaxation dentistry that is used to help patients drift through dental treatment. Oral conscious sedation is more powerful than laughing gas (nitrous oxide) and less powerful than intravenous sedation, which renders the patient unconscious.
Our Elmhurst sedation dentistry team will help you determine whether oral conscious sedation meets your needs and is appropriate for your dental procedure. We’ll take certain things in to account, including the level of anxiety you experience
and what kinds of dental treatments you’ll be receiving.
If we determine that oral conscious sedation is right for you, then you’ll simply take a small pill before you come in for treatment—usually about one hour before. Because this pill will relax you significantly, you’ll need to have someone to drive you to your appointment and also to drive you home.
By the time you arrive at our office you’ll be relaxed and comfortable. During treatment you’ll remain conscious—meaning that you can communicate with our dental team—but you probably won’t remember the treatment process by the time you get home that same day. Throughout your appointment we’ll monitor your heart rate, oxygen levels, and blood pressure to ensure that you’re responding well to treatment.
Oral conscious sedation is increasingly popular because it’s so effective, and patients are able to recover from the effects of sedation fairly quickly. If you want to learn more about what oral conscious sedation can do for you don’t hesitate to give our Elmhurst dentists a call!