Sedation Dentistry

Sedation Dentistry in San Antonio, TX

Anxious—afraid or nervous especially about what may happen. This describes many patients’ feelings before they go to a dentist's office; however, some people have “dental anxiety,” which causes them to avoid the dentist's office altogether. Dental anxiety differs for each person, but some common symptoms are apparent:

• Trouble sleeping the night before a dentist appointment

• Anxiety increases at the dentist's office, especially when a patient sees dental instruments or the dentist

• Feeling sick thinking about the dental exam

• Difficulty breathing while in the dental chair

These symptoms can deter patients from going to the dentist, which also hurts their oral health. To help patients relax during treatment, many dentist offices are offering sedation dentistry. At Silver Oaks Dentistry, sedation dentistry is available, so patients can finally relax in the dental chair.

What is Sedation Dentistry?

Sedation dentistry is dentistry that provides patients with medicine that helps a patient relax and/or feel sleepy. This specific technique is called “conscious sedation,” which means the patient is awake during the treatment. In most cases, the patient won’t remember the dental experience, but he/she will be able to respond to voices and maintain his/her reflexes while under sedation. There are three common ways to administer sedation medicine:

• Nitrous Oxide – “laughing gas” is delivered via a small mask a patient inhales through

• Oral Sedation – this is a medicine that is given by mouth (orally)

• IV therapy – IV stands for intravenous, which means the medicine is administered directly into the vein through

Other types of sedation techniques are general anesthesia and shots. These are performed under careful supervision.

Silver Oaks Dentistry offers oral sedation and nitrous oxide.