Long Island Sedation Dentistry
Dental phobia, anxiety, and a dislike of visiting the dentist is more common that you might expect. As your Long Island oral health provider, we’re committed to ensuring that your experience with us is positive and as gentle as possible. One of the ways we provide a relaxing and efficient environment to our patients is by offering in-house sedation dentistry services. With this option, you (or your child) can feel drowsy or even sleep through the procedure that needs to be completed. Depending on the type of sedative you elect (some medications induce amnesia,) you may not even remember the appointment at all.
Planning for a Sedation Appointment
Unless you’re only having nitrous oxide (laughing gas,) you will need to have a friend or family member escort you to and from our office. It’s best to have them plan to stay with you for a few hours afterward, as well. If you’re taking pain medication, you will also be unable to operate heavy machinery.
Plan to have soft foods and liquids to eat/drink for the first couple of days after your surgery, with anything on hand that you need to stay comfortable as you heal.
Types of Sedation Dentistry
There isn’t just one type of “sedative” used in dentistry. At Sachem Dental Group, we offer several different types of analgesic and sedative methods, depending on the procedure that needs to be completed and the comfort level of our patients.
For example, oral conscious sedation uses a medication that’s taken by mouth about an hour before your scheduled treatment. Although you are still semi-conscious, you likely won’t remember much (if anything) about your appointment. You’ll need to have someone drive you home following your procedure, as it can take several hours for the medication to fully wear off. The same can be said for IV sedation, which is delivered by an intravenous line into your arm; the onset is much faster and the timeframe more controlled, but you will feel quite groggy afterwards.
However, nitrous oxide sedation is only an analgesic, leaving you completely conscious at all times. It can be paired with local anesthetic for optimal pain relief, and then immediately flushed from your respiratory system so that there are no lingering sedatives in your body.
More complex situations may call for general anesthesia in a hospital setting and under the care of a licensed medical anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist.
Benefits and Risks of Sedation Dentistry
As with any type of surgery and dental procedure, there is a slight risk associated with things such as invasive procedures or taking medication; sedation dentistry is no different. To ensure your safety at all times, our Suffolk County team of multi-specialty dentists will intensely review your health history and determine whether or not you are a candidate for a sedation procedure.
Electing to have sedation offers many advantages, like:
- Relaxing through the entire procedure
- Receiving more efficient care in fewer appointments
- Overcoming fear and anxiety associated with the dental office
- Catching up on necessary treatment
- Optimal comfort at all times
Cost of Sedation Dentistry
If you’ve been avoiding having your dental procedures performed because you’re worried about how much it’s going to cost, the real concern should be how much more it’s going to cost you by delaying your treatment.
The truth is, treating decaying or broken-down teeth becomes more expensive the longer you wait to restore them. As time goes by, oral health conditions gradually get worse, until they’ve advanced to a stage where minimally-invasive treatments are no longer an option. The filling you needed six months ago has now turned into a root canal and a crown. Wait another six months, and you’ll need an extraction, followed by a bridge or dental implant.
Choosing to have your dental treatment completed under sedation can actually save you money, by:
- Performing all of your procedures in one appointment, instead of several (take less time off of work)
- Treating problems when they’re smaller and simpler to correct
- Making affordable restorative options accessible, compared to waiting until more extensive treatment is needed
Candidacy for Sedation Dentistry
Before you scan schedule any type of sedation procedure, our Suffolk County dentists will need to discuss things such as past surgeries, current medications you’re taking, recent illnesses, or other medical diagnosis that you’ve received from your primary care physician (PCP.) If necessary, we can discuss these with your PCP to determine if any accommodations need to be made.
Based on your health status and medical clearance, we can then determine which types of sedation are appropriate for your needs. Even if you are not a candidate for one type of sedative does not mean you won’t be a candidate for the next. Each form of analgesic, sedative, and anesthesia method involves different factors which must be considered. The best way to know which ones you qualify for is to discuss them personally with one of our multi-specialty providers.
Why Consider Sedation During Your Dental Treatment?
- You’ve had a negative experience in the past and don’t want to re-live what happened before
- Special needs patients who may not be capable of sitting still for a set amount of time
- The desire to complete all of your treatment in one appointment
- Planning on more extensive procedures or reconstruction, involving surgeries, extractions, or dental implants
- You just want to relax. Even though you’ve had dental work before, “tuning it all out” seems appealing to you
- Young patients who require medically necessary dental care but are unable to cooperate for treatment without sedation due to their age or maturity level
You’re in Good Hands
Sachem Dental Group has highly trained and licensed sedation providers on staff, so that you know you’re in great hands during every treatment. In addition to performing a thorough medical screening and review of your health history, our sedation dentists carefully monitor you at all times throughout your procedure.
To learn more about relaxing (or napping) through your next dental appointment, contact Sachem Dental Group to schedule a consultation for sedation services.