Dental Anxiety

Sedation Dentistry FAQ

We practice sedation dentistry in order to reduce and prevent dental anxiety. Here are some of the most common questions we receive:

Q. Will I be asleep when sedated?
A. The answer, typically, is no. Sleep dentistry is usually reserved for oral surgery and lengthy procedures. Sedation dentistry, on the other hand, will help you relax and can make you drowsy, so some patients do nod off, but you are technically not put to sleep.

Q. Can everyone use sedation dentistry?
A. To determine if you are healthy enough for sedation (most people are) we recommend that you schedule an appointment with our District of Columbia dental office. Dr. Hines will meet with you to discuss the type of sedation that would be best suited for your procedure and the level of dental anxiety that you are experiencing.

Q. How is sedation dentistry administered?
A. The most common form of sedation consists of taking a pill about an hour before the procedure begins. It can help you to feel entirely relaxed and completely eliminate your dental anxiety. Most procedures, like teeth cleaning or fixing a simple cavity, do not necessarily hurt, so many people are okay with sedation alone.. However, if you would like pain medication as well, we can give it to you after the sedation has taken effect.

Q. Will I be able to move around like normal?
A. Yes, with sedation dentistry you can continue to engage in conversation and respond to commands, but your response times may be slightly delayed and your mind not as clear as normal. This is why we recommend that you either have someone drive you home or wait until it has worn off completely before driving.

Q. Can children benefit from sedation dentistry?
A. Yes, typically children need sedation when having a lot of dental work completed so that they can hold still long enough for the work to be performed. This is a unique specialty and not offered at every dentist office.

Q. Are there any side effects of sedation dentistry?
A. Most of the time the sedation goes away within an hour of your procedure being complete. If you are more heavily sedated or put to sleep for oral surgery, however, it can take a couple of hours to feel normal — but this is rare. In our Washington dental office, we use the least amount of sedation necessary to help you to feel completely relaxed and comfortable so that it is effective without staying in your system for too long.

Q. Are there other ways to make dental work more comfortable?
A. Yes! Laser dentistry is transforming how dental procedures are being completed by allowing dentists to target small spaces without irritating the surrounding tissue. It’s far less invasive than traditional dental tools, which means there’s less bleeding and swelling, and less recovery time. Lasers can be used to treat tooth decay, gum disease, and in restorative procedures. If you want to reduce your dental anxiety without using medication, we highly recommend visiting a laser dentistry office.

At Premier Dental Care, we have found that when lasers are used many of our patients no longer need sedation or pain medication because the common factors that create dental anxiety are eliminated. For example, the noise, heat, and vibration that is traditionally associated with the dental drill is not present when using lasers.