Fear of the dentist is one of the most common phobias in the country. Many people go years without seeing a dentist because of dental anxiety.

Unfortunately, avoiding the dentist also gives dental health problems like cavities time to do more damage and leads to more involved and expensive treatments.

Not everyone avoids the dentist because of a phobia, either.

Maybe you have a hard time lying comfortably in the dental chair. If you gag easily, you may try to avoid routine x-rays. Even sensitive teeth can be enough to keep people from getting regular cleanings.

If you’ve ever avoided dental care, dental sedation could help!

What Is Sedation Dentistry?

Sedation dentistry allows us to give you quality dental care painlessly and without fear.

Dental sedation isn’t just for people with fear of the dentist, either! With sedation dentistry, we can help long and complex treatments fly by. We can use it to suppress an overactive gag reflex, calm sensitive teeth, and help patients with other health problems like arthritis rest comfortably in the dental chair.

Dental sedation is also amazing for patients with mental or emotional disabilities who need extra help staying still during dental procedures.

What Types of Dental Sedation Are There?

There is a range of sedation dentistry options to suit every need and type of treatment.

Let’s look at the three most common types of dental sedation and what they do.

1. Nitrous Oxide.

You might have heard of laughing gas before. Nitrous oxide is its official name, but it doesn’t actually make you laugh like its nickname might lead you to believe.

Instead, nitrous will help you feel profoundly relaxed and calm. It can effectively suppress the gag reflex and almost completely eliminate tooth sensitivity for some people.

It also helps numbing injections work even better, so if you’ve ever had problems getting numb, nitrous might be a great option for you.

Nitrous oxide is so safe it’s the most common form of sedation dentistry for children.

It wears off completely once your procedure is done, so you won’t need a driver to take you home and you’ll be able to go about your normal day.

2. Oral Conscious Sedation.

If you’ve ever wished there were a magic pill to help you sleep through dental treatment, we’ve got great news: we have it! Okay, well, it’s not magic, but it sure does feel like it for some patients.

Oral conscious sedation has helped many of our patients overcome their dental phobia to get the care they need in total comfort.

We’ll carefully calculate the perfect combination of medications to help you achieve a “twilight” consciousness that will last even through long and complex treatments. In many cases, you’ll take the first dose at home before you come to our office, which can give you the right state of mind to feel at ease walking through our door.

Oral sedation pairs well with nitrous oxide and numbing injections, giving us a multi-faceted way to keep you feeling fully tranquil.

Although conscious sedation won’t fully put you under, most patients feel so relaxed that they’ll nap through their whole appointment.

Oral sedation doesn’t wear off quickly, so you will need a driver to get you home.

3. IV Sedation.

For extreme phobia and involved surgical procedures, IV sedation dentistry is another great option.

Although we don’t offer IV sedation ourselves, we work closely with many specialists who can offer it if that’s what your treatment plan calls for.

IV sedation dentistry can deliver a more profound level of sedation including general anesthesia if you need to be fully unconscious.

Take Back Control of Your Oral Health with Sedation Dentistry.

At Lake Baldwin Dental, our priority is to make sure you get the care you need for better health.

So many patients come to us feeling ashamed, anxious, and overwhelmed. We have helped countless patients reclaim stable, functional dental health after years of battling severe periodontal disease and broken, decayed, painful teeth.

In all cases, we are committed to giving you a 100% judgement-free place to get the dental care you need, including dental sedation to help you feel comfortable.

If you have questions about sedation dentistry in Orlando, FL, don’t hesitate to call us! Our team is here to listen to your concerns and anxieties and help you build a plan to take back control of your dental health.

Keep smiling without fear, Orlando!