It is estimated that 3 out of every 10 American adults avoid the dentist because of fear and anxiety. Dental phobia can be a serious condition that prevents people from getting the dental care they need. Our sedation dentistry options help patients feel relaxed and comfortable during treatment.
Valley Dental Health is one of the few dentists in the Hunt Valley area to offer Sedation Dentistry options including IV sedation. We offer several sedation dentistry techniques for patients who have dental anxiety or are in need of complex dental treatment.
In Maryland, IV sedation is only available through specially trained oral surgeons and dentists. Dr. Roham Rafat is certified in Maryland to administer IV sedation to patients at our Cockeysville dental office.
Sedation Dentistry FAQs
How long does it take for dental sedation to wear off?
Depending on the type, and amount of sedation used it may take anywhere from two to eight hours for sedation effects to wear off. Oral sedation typically wears off within 2 hours, however IV sedation may take up to eight.
Can you eat before dental sedation?
If you do eat before your procedure, we recommend that it is a light meal. It is important to hydrate before your appointment. You may eat and drink up to two hours before your appointment, but after this it is important to fast so that sedation can take full effect.
Are you awake during dental sedation?
Dental sedation is not like general anesthesia. You will remain awake, but will feel very calm and at ease. Patients should not feel any pain while under dental sedation. You will remain conscious but may struggle communicating with your dentist.
What should you not do before sedation?
Prior to your procedure, we recommend that you abstain from drinking and smoking for at least 24 hours prior to the appointment. It is important to remove all jewelry before your appointment. If you are a diabetic, we ask that you check your blood sugar the day of your procedure, and report the results back to us before we begin.
Do you feel pain with oral sedation?
No. Sedation options are meant to prevent pain during treatments. You should not feel pain while under oral sedation. If you do, let us know. We have certified and experienced dentists that will make sure you are fully comfortable.
Do you remember anything after sedation?
Depending on the type of sedation, you may not be able to remember what happened during your dental procedure. You may feel drowsy and not remember what happened after the procedure.
Sedation dentistry is different from local anesthesia, which is an injection that blocks pain signals to the brain, numbing the area and preventing pain.
Sedation dentistry provides more of an all-over euphoric effect to not only control pain in the treatment area but calm the anxiety and fear that some patients associate with the dentist or dental treatment. Sedation dentistry allows your Valley Dental Health dentist to perform multiple treatments in one sitting for your convenience.
Conscious Sedation
Oral Sedation Dentistry
is a common sedation dentistry technique for patients with dental anxiety. Administered as a pill, patients remain conscious, yet relaxed, allowing the dentist to perform the needed procedures.
Most patients report no memory of the procedure and feel as though they “slept” through treatment despite being awake and conscious throughout the procedure for safety and cooperation. We will prescribe a medication that should be taken about an hour before your appointment.
You will need to make sure you have someone drive you to and from the appointment as oral medications will impair your ability to drive.
Nitrous Oxide, or Laughing Gas
Nitrous oxide is inhaled by the patient through a special mask. The gas simply relaxes the patient. They remain fully awake and cooperative during treatment. Nitrous oxide is one of the safest and most effective sedation dentistry techniques.
The effects of laughing gas are only present when the mask is on, allowing the patient to quickly recover and return to their normal activities.
IV sedation dentistry
IV sedation dentistry can only be administered by properly trained and certified dentists. We are one of the few dentists in Hunt Valley to offer IV dental sedation. With this technique, medication is administered directly into the bloodstream for a highly controlled and monitored sedation option.
The primary benefit of IV sedation dentistry is that patients can feel immediately relaxed. Your Valley Dental Health team will be able to perform multiple treatments at once while you are relaxed and calm. You will be required to plan for a ride home after treatment.
Oraverse®
We also offer Oraverse® to reverse the effects of anesthesia. Oraverse® is an injection that is delivered after treatment so that you can leave our office without having to worry about numbness, drooling, slurred speech or any other unwanted side-effects of anesthesia.