Laughing Gas, Sleeping Pill or Twilight SedationOur aim is to help our patients relax while they are in our office. If you don’t feel comfortable during dental treatment, talk to us about ways to help you relax. Modern preventive techniques, advances in anesthesia, nitrous oxide, oral sedation and IV sedation and many new relaxation techniques allow our patients to leave our office feeling better than when they arrived!
Nitrous Oxide (Laughing Gas)
Dr. Melissa Jarrell and her team offer Inhalation Sedation (Nitrous Oxide Gas), often referred to as "laughing gas", as an effective anesthetic that has many benefits for patients seeking dental treatment.
Nitrous Oxide is a very safe way to provide mild sedation for a patient that has trouble sitting still or just wants to "take the edge-off" of treatment. It does not replace traditional local anesthetics to numb your mouth. The laughing gas is administered through a special nosepiece and is very comfortable.
One of the advantages of using laughing gas is you can drive to and from your appointments. There are NO residual effects from the gas; once we turn it off, within 5 minutes it is completely out of your system. The only patient that would not be able to use laughing gas would be a patient that has COPD and uses supplemental oxygen daily, is pregnant, has MS or exotic chest problems or someone who could not breath through their nose.
Laughing gas is most commonly used to help children relax in our office but we have many adults that find it very helpful. Please ask us if you have any questions about laughing gas.
There are many advantages to using Nitrous Oxide Sedation:
• The depth of sedation can be altered at any time to increase or decrease sedation.
• There is no after effect such as a “hangover”.
• Inhalation sedation is safe with no side effects on your heart and lungs, etc.
• Inhalation sedation is very effective in minimizing gagging.
• It works rapidly as it reaches the brain within 20 seconds. In as few as 2-3 minutes its relaxation and pain killing properties develop.
• Patients can drive to and from appointments because nitrous oxide rapidly wears off when patients stop breathing the gas.
Oral Sedation (Sleeping Pill)
With oral sedation, you’ll know that the dental work was done, but most patients have little memory of how it happened. Oral Sedation refers to a mild to moderate type of sedation administered with a tiny “sleeping pill” in your mouth. We normally prescribe a prescription drug called Halcion. When it is prescribed in the dental office and combined with laughing gas, MOST patients have an amnesia effect and commonly our patients sleep through the procedure. We CANNOT guarantee you will not remember the procedure.
How is oral sedation administered?
You and your care giver will arrive to our office one hour before your appointment. Do not eat or drink anything for 6 hours before. Medications may be taken with a sip of water . We will place you on monitors for the duration of your appointment and we will give you a tiny white pill (Halcion) under your tongue and it will dissolve. Over the next hour you will start feeling relaxed and more comfortable. One of the side effects for Halcion is amnesia, so most of our patients fall asleep and do not remember the dental procedure. Halcion usually lasts for 4-8 hours so you are not able to drive home or work the day of the procedure.
IV Sedation (Intravenous Sedation/Twilight Sedation)
Our office offers our patients the option of intravenous anesthesia or to some it is referred to as “Twilight Sedation” for their dental treatment. Intravenous sedation or “twilight sleep” helps you to be comfortable and calm when undergoing dental procedures. Intravenous sedation or “IV sedation” (twilight sedation) is designed to better enable you to undergo your dental procedures while you are very relaxed; it will enable you to tolerate as well as not remember those procedures that may be uncomfortable for you. IV sedation will essentially help alleviate the anxiety associated with your treatment. If you choose the option of intravenous sedation your IV sedation/anesthesia is administered and monitored by the doctor therefore eliminating the costly expense of having your treatment carried out in an operating room or same day surgical facility.
How is the IV sedation administered?
A thin needle will be introduced into a vein in your arm or hand. The needle will be attached to an intravenous tube through which medication will be given to help you relax and feel comfortable. Once again, some patients may be asleep while others will slip in and out of sleep. But the medications we give you will give you amnesia so you will not remember the treatment. The goal of IV sedation is to use as little medication as possible to get the treatment completed. It is very safe, much safer than oral sedation. With IV sedation a constant “drip” is maintained via the intravenous tube. At any time, an antidote can be administered to reverse the effects of the medications if necessary.
The facts of Sedation Dentistry
It Really Works! You really can relax through your dental appointment.
It Is Safe.
Most will have little or no memory of the experience depending on which method you chose to use.
You can relax.
Complex dental treatments, that often require six to eight appointments, can be done in as little as one! All while you relax.
People who have difficulty getting numb will find that sedation dentistry eliminates this problem.
Sedation dentistry is a safe way to reduce the fatigue of extended dental treatment requiring long visits.
Note: Virtual Appointments must be scheduled in advance with our office in order to proceed. Please do not proceed to virtual waiting room until you have scheduled an appointment time with Dr. Melissa Jarrell.
