Sedation dentistry is not only for people that fear going to the dentist—anyone can experience its benefits at Sleep Dentistry of Portland.
With sedation, treatments that would require five or more appointments often can be combined and completed in one single appointment. This means fewer interruptions to your daily life. Few people enjoy visiting their dentist, so what could make your next dental visit more pleasant than being able to sleep through it?
We offer different levels of sedation depending on your needs and preferences. These include the below options.
Nitrous Oxide Sedation
We can use nitrous oxide to lightly sedate you. The gas is mixed with oxygen and is inhaled through a small mask placed over your nose.
Benefits include:
- It is extremely safe and familiar to patients.
- It wears off quickly with no need for someone to take you to and from your appointment.
- The doctor can accurately control the level of sedation.
Minimal Oral Sedation
Oral sedation is achieved through the use of pills that are in the drug family called benzodiazepines. The familiar drug, valium, is also from this family. They produce a feeling of relaxation and drowsiness.
Benefits Include:
- It places you in a very relaxed state.
- It causes drowsiness that allows patients to doze off during the appointment.
- Most patients have little or no memory of the appointment.
- They work as a mild anesthetic to aid pain control.
Moderate Intravenous (IV) Sedation
Moderate sedation is achieved through the use of an IV administering a sedative directly to your bloodstream. It produces a profound state of relaxation and can be used to sedate patients to the point where they are completely unaware of the dental treatment being performed. Our doctors are among a small and prestigious group of Oregon dentists who are qualified and licensed to perform these types of advanced sedation.
Benefits include:
- The doctor is able to control the level of sedation very accurately.
- Moderate sedation can safely be achieved.
- The patient will have virtually no memory of the dental treatment.
- It is a superior sedation technique for long appointments.
- It is a superior sedation technique for patients with very high fear.
- It works as a moderate anesthetic to aid pain control.
- It can be used to administer long-lasting drugs for post-operative pain control.
General Anesthesia
Sleep Dentistry of Portland also offers general anesthesia when needed. This type of sedation most often benefits special-needs patients and young children. If you would like to know more about our general anesthesia provider, please navigate to our “Meet the Doctors” page.