Sedation Dentistry – Virginia Beach, VA
Complete Relaxation During Dental Visits
Do you typically feel anxious about visiting your dentist? Are you generally afraid of the sights and sounds of a dental office? Whether this is due to a bad experience or you simply have a difficult time feeling comfortable during treatment, our team can provide you with sedation dentistry in Virginia Beach. By taking an oral conscious sedation pill, you’ll be able to undergo any essential services while remaining entirely stress-free throughout your appointment. While you’ll technically still be awake, you likely won’t even remember your treatment when it’s over! Keep reading or give us a call today if you wish to learn more.
Why Choose Smile by Design of Virginia Beach for Sedation Dentistry?
- Oral Conscious Sedation for Deep Relaxation
- Offers Alternative & Flexible Financing
- High-Trained & Caring Dental Staff
Don’t Let Anxiety Impact Your Oral Health
Did you know that around 75% of adults in the United States tend to experience anxiety or fear before and/or during a visit to their dentist? There are various reasons why you might feel this way, ranging from a bad past appointment to a dislike for the smell of the environment.
While this is understandable, you don’t want to allow this to prevent you from undergoing essential dental care. The longer you hold off on getting necessary treatments, the more likely you’ll experience complications in your mouth and the higher the cost of services in the long run. Fortunately, with oral conscious sedation, you can be sure to get the treatment you need while remaining as calm and comfortable as possible!
Oral Conscious Dental Sedation
Our team utilizes oral conscious sedation as the method to help patients stay relaxed during their visit. This treatment is ideal for those with moderate dental anxiety. After your initial consultation, we’ll prescribe you an antianxiety medication that you will be instructed to take before your dental procedure. This will allow you to feel calmer before arriving at our office. Although this form of sedation won’t “put you to sleep,” most patients don’t even remember their appointments afterward.
What is Oral Conscious Sedation?
For patients who are particularly anxious, nervous, or have a strong gag reflex, oral conscious sedation often is an ideal solution. There are no masks or needles involved! Once we have looked over your medical history, medications, and any allergies that you have, we can determine whether oral conscious sedation is a good option for you. If so, your dentist will prescribe you a small pill that needs to be taken before your appointment. The effects of this treatment are long-lasting and will kick in by the time your appointment comes around.
How Does Oral Conscious Sedation Work?
Once the effects kick in, you will feel deeply relaxed. Oftentimes, patients don’t even remember their treatment. You will remain conscious throughout your procedure, so you will still be able to answer questions and respond to instructions. We will monitor you throughout the entire procedure to make sure that you are safe and comfortable.
Aftercare for Oral Conscious Sedation
Since oral conscious sedation is a powerful method of relaxation, you should expect to feel groggy or euphoric after your treatment. For this reason, you’ll need to arrange for a friend or family member to bring you to and from your appointment. It’s also best if you take the day off from work or school, as you’ll likely not be able to continue your normal daily activities. Every patient is different, but the majority of them require at least 12 hours of rest before they start to feel back to normal.
Are You a Good Candidate for Oral Conscious Sedation?
Oral conscious sedation has become very popular. It is particularly beneficial for patients who:
- Have dental anxiety or fear
- Are receiving multiple treatments at once
- Struggle with becoming numb with local anesthesia
- Have a sensitive gag reflex
- Struggle sitting still
- Have had negative past dental experiences
Am I a Good Candidate for Sedation Dentistry?
The best way to determine if you’re a good candidate for sedation dentistry is to visit our team for an initial consultation. We’ll look over your oral health, medical history, and specific needs before deciding if oral conscious sedation is for you. In many cases, you might be eligible for this treatment if you:
- Feel anxious or scared of the dentist or getting dental treatment.
- Have sensitive teeth or a powerful gag reflex.
- Experienced a bad dental visit in the past.
- Have difficulty sitting still in the examination chair.
- Struggle with neck, back, or shoulder pain that makes it uncomfortable to sit for extended periods.
- Require more extensive procedures or multiple treatments in one visit.
Sedation Dentistry FAQs
Is Sedation Dentistry Safe While Pregnant?
We would typically recommend against any kinds of sedatives if you’re expecting a child. If you’re pregnant, there’s a risk that any sedatives you take will pass through the placenta and into the fetus.
If you urgently need treatment that necessitates sedation, timing is important. The risks to the fetus’ development are greatest during the first trimester, and during the third these drugs could encourage premature labor. For these reasons, patients receiving sedation during pregnancy should usually wait until the second trimester.
How Long Does Dental Sedation Last?
The amount of time you can expect your sedation to last depends on the drug that you’re using. We usually make use of oral conscious sedation, which naturally needs to last for a while in order to ensure your comfort throughout the procedure.
Everyone reacts to sedatives a bit differently, but most people find that oral sedation lingers a bit for the rest of the day. For that reason, you should be sure to get a ride both to and from your dental appointment.
Can Dental Sedation Make You Sick?
While we’ll carefully ensure that the sedative we provide you will be dosed out properly, there is some chance of experiencing nausea as a side effect of the drug. This is more likely the stronger the substance you’re using.
Oral conscious sedation is fairly strong, which means that it’s often a good idea to refrain from eating before your procedure just in case. You should also let us know if you’re unusually prone to nausea—if you are, we may be able to supply you with an anti-nausea drug.
Does Dental Sedation Put You to Sleep?
While sedation dentistry is sometimes called “sleep dentistry,” this isn’t meant to be literal. Most dental sedatives are designed to keep you awake for the duration of the procedure so that you can easily follow our instructions.
However, you’ll likely find that your memories of the procedure are fuzzy, meaning that it may feel like you fell asleep during the procedure even if you didn’t. It’s also fairly common for patients to doze off anyway if they’re using one of the stronger sedatives available, though we can easily nudge you awake if you’d like.