Sedation Dentistry in Florida

What Is Dental Sedation?

Also known as sleep dentistry, it refers to using medications or drugs to relax and calm patients before and during appointments or procedures. The drugs are usually sedatives, so they depress the areas of the central nervous system that regulate conscious awareness.

In most cases, dentists have the required training to use low-level sedation techniques. In order to perform deeper levels of sedation for dental treatment, they need special equipment and supplies and extra training. Because of that, some of them have anesthesiologists on staff to perform such complex sedations. Others contract sedation dentists or physicians instead. Call us to learn how our office handles sedation.

Why Do Dentists Use Sedation?

Sedation dentistry is used by dentists to relax patients who have genuine fears that prevent them from seeking dental care. They use sedation for other reasons too, including for patients who:

• need multiple treatments,
• have a low threshold for pain,
• are unable to control gagging,
• have sensitive teeth, and
• can’t sit still during procedures.

Sedation is particularly useful for children who are terrified of the dentist or simply won’t cooperate during treatment. In addition, sedation for dental treatment can reduce the potential that the experience will cause trauma.

How Are Patients Sedated?

There are several levels of central nervous system depression involved in sedation dentistry in Mount Dora. With minimal sedation, you remain awake and relaxed during treatment.

Oral Conscious Sedation

Oral Conscious Sedation, commonly known as laughing gas is the most popular medication that dentists use for this. You breathe the laughing gas and oxygen mixture through a mask.

You might not remember what happens during moderate or conscious sedation for dental procedures. However, you’re still awake during the treatment. Most dentists use oral sedation dentistry to reach this level of central nervous system depression. You may swallow a liquid medication or pills, or you might take pills and breathe laughing gas.

IV Sedation Dentistry

Deep sedation puts you in a state of conscious sleep so that the dental staff can wake you after the procedure. IV sedation dentistry achieves this by administering medication into your veins. This method allows the dentist to modify the dose accordingly.

Using general anesthesia, sleep dentistry can put you into an unconscious state. Since others will have a hard time waking you from this sedation, the dental staff will have to reverse the effects or wait for the anesthesia to wear off.

Sedation: How Long Does It Last?

The amount of time that sedation lasts depends on the type of sedation dentistry used. Sometimes, preparing for sedation involves fasting the night before. You might also take pills for oral sedation dentistry the day prior.

Most of the time, though, sleep dentistry begins when you arrive for treatment. You could wait for up to an hour for the drugs to take effect. With IV sedation dentistry, the effects usually kick in within minutes.

Then, the drugs will wear off anywhere from 15 minutes to several hours later. In general, laughing gas usually wears off the fastest, while general anesthesia lasts the longest. Ask us about how long your sedation will last.

What Are the Benefits of Sedation?

There are a lot of benefits of getting sedation dentistry in Mount Dora. One of the biggest benefits is that it can reduce and even eliminate dental anxiety. Although amnesia isn’t desirable in most cases, the relaxed state can make you forget what happens during treatment to avoid trauma. If you have trouble controlling your gag reflex during treatment, it can relax the area of your throat that’s responsible for this reaction.

Another major benefit of sleep dentistry is that it provides pain relief during dental procedures to increase your comfort. Since IV sedation dentistry puts you into an unconscious sleep, the dentist can work unhindered. As a result, your treatment will likely be finished more efficiently and faster.

How Much Does Sedation Cost?

A number of factors impact how much that you’ll pay for sedation dentistry, including the duration of sedation, type of sedation and drugs that you need. The type of treatment that you need will also affect your sedation dentistry cost. Typically, you’ll pay the least for minimal sedation and the most for general anesthesia.

Is Sedation Covered by Insurance?

The coverage for your sedation dentistry insurance policy may pay for some of your costs. However, policies don’t usually cover sedation when it’s not required for the treatment. Instead, the insurer labels this service as an elective, so you should contact yours to determine your coverage. Ask the staff at our practice for help understanding your sedation dentistry cost coverage.