Sedation

Relax… This is Your Happy Place

Your Dentist in Heath, Forney, Rockwall & surrounding areas

At KB Dental, we want your time with us to feel more like a rejuvenating trip to the spa than a trip to the dentist—but for patients with dental anxiety, a spa-like dental visit seems impossible. For those patients, and for anyone who wants to have the most relaxing and comfortable dental experience, we highly recommend sedation dentistry. We offer several options to suit your needs so you can get the care you need comfortably, whether it’s a routine check-up or a full mouth reconstruction.

Is Sedation Dentistry Right for Me?
There are many reasons sedation is used in dentistry, and you don’t have to have an extreme case of anxiety or need extensive dental work to take advantage of this wonderful solution. It is great for those cases, of course, but we also recommend sedation if you just need a little extra help getting the dental care you need.

Aside from anxiety and discomfort, there are many other times when sedation is a good friend of ours. Maybe you have a bad gag reflex that makes any type of dental care almost impossible. Maybe you have trouble getting numb with anesthesia. Maybe you have a physical disability that makes dental work difficult. Whatever the reason, we are happy to recommend one of our many sedation options so you can get the care you need easily and comfortably.
Am I a candidate for Sedation Dentistry?

Sedation dentistry is ideal for patients with:

  • Negative past dental experiences
  • General dental fear or anxiety (dental phobia)
  • Fear of dental tools like the drill
  • Fear of pain, blood, or needles
  • Bad gag reflex
  • Trouble getting numb with anesthesia
  • Small mouth or jaw pain (TMJ)
  • Physical disability
  • Needing extensive dental work
What are my sedation options?
  1. Nitrous Oxide: Nitrous oxide is commonly known as laughing gas, and is the lightest and most commonly used form of sedation. Nitrous comes in the form of a gas mixed with oxygen that you breathe through a small face mask at the start of your appointment.

    You will quickly start to relax and your worries will melt away—you might even get the giggles. Nitrous oxide wears off quickly, only a few minutes after breathing normally, so you should be able to drive yourself home safely.
  2. Oral Sedation: Oral conscious sedation comes in the form of a prescription sedative that Dr. Bartz will prescribe and you will take about an hour before your appointment. Oral sedation produces a heavier sedative effect than nitrous oxide and is recommended for patients with moderate anxiety. With oral sedation, you will drift into a pleasant, waking dreamlike state.

    Sedation does produce some amnesic effects so although you will be conscious, the details of your appointment will be fuzzy, and it will be over before you know it. With oral sedation, you will need someone to drive you to and from your appointment for your safety and have someone stay with you until the effects wear off.
  3. IV Sedation: IV sedation is the heaviest form of sedation and is recommended for patients with severe anxiety or other prohibitive issues, or patients receiving extensive dental work or dental surgery. IV sedation, as the name implies, is administered intravenously so the effects can be felt almost immediately.

    IV sedation is not the same as general anesthesia, and although you will not remember the details of your appointment, you will remain generally conscious and able to respond to the doctor, and breathe on your own. You should have someone drive you to and from your appointment and stay with you while the effects wear off.

Get the Care You Need, Comfortably

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