Sedation Dentistry
At Grove City Smiles, we make it a top priority to ensure that all of our patients are as relaxed and comfortable as possible while getting the dental care that they need to live healthy, smile-filled lives. We’re therefore proud to offer multiple sedation options to better serve individuals of all needs, preferences, and backgrounds.
Dental anxiety is a very real—and surprisingly common—phenomenon, one that affects an estimated 13-24% of the world’s population.
Figures like those make it easy to see why it’s so important for us to put our patients at ease before each and every procedure we carry out, from routine cleanings to more complex surgeries and treatments.
You might be a good candidate for sedation dentistry if your dental history has been characterized by any of the following conditions:
We believe in giving people options. To this end, we offer three separate sedation solutions, all of which can be administered quickly, painlessly, and without causing undesirable side effects. That’s something worth smiling about.
Nitrous oxide, known colloquially as “laughing gas,” is a mild gaseous anesthetic delivered via a specially formulated oxygen mixture. For this method of sedation, you’ll be fitted with a breathing mask through which your dentist will slowly introduce the gas until you enter a state of temporary euphoria.
Nitrous oxide is a form of conscious sedation—you’ll be awake throughout your treatment, but you won’t feel a thing. It’s a safe, effective process that dentists have been using to pacify worry-prone and pain-averse patients for decades.
During IV sedation, one of our highly trained dentists will use a small needle to inject a fast-acting anti-anxiety medication into one of the easily accessible veins on your hand or arm. These medications are designed to numb pain and promote feelings of tranquility.
As a result, you won’t be conscious of any discomfort, but you’ll remain coherent enough to answer questions and respond to instructions from your dentist.
Oral sedation is a less invasive alternative to nitrous oxide and IV sedation. It doesn’t require you to inhale anything or have anything pumped into your veins. Instead, all you do is swallow a pill that gently and gradually induces sleep, not unlike taking a sleep aid before bed.
This type of anesthesia is sometimes referred to as “sleep dentistry” because it renders the patient completely unconscious. If feelings of fear, dread, or panic have prevented you from seeking dental care in the past, full sedation may be the answer.
Not only is sedation perfectly safe when performed by skilled dental professionals like the ones that make up the Grove City Smiles team, but it’s the only way to guarantee pain-free dentistry. It may also provide other unexpected health benefits—studies have found that dental patients who elect to receive sedation tend to display blood pressure levels significantly lower than those who choose to forgo it.
Recovery times vary depending on the form of sedation employed. Generally, however, you can expect to be feeling like your usual self within hours. In the meantime, you should avoid driving, consuming alcohol, or using any kind of potentially dangerous tools, equipment, or machinery. We recommend arranging reliable transportation to and from your appointment if you’re interested in enlisting the services of dentists that put you to sleep.
We look forward to meeting you. Call (614) 350-5300 or request an appointment online to set up your first visit. We’ll be in touch soon.
