Sedation Dentistry

To make your dental visit as comfortable as possible, we may suggest the administration of sedation or anaesthesia to reduce or eliminate any pain or anxiety that may be related to your dental treatment.

Sedation is a medical procedure involving the administration of sedative drugs, generally to facilitate a medical or surgical procedure.

Sedation in dentistry is generally used for reconstructive surgery, removal of impacted wisdom teeth, tooth extraction, or high-anxiety patients. Sedation methods in dentistry include inhalation sedation (using Nitrous Oxide, N20, laughing gas), oral sedation and Intravenous (IV) sedation. Inhalation sedation is also sometimes referred to as Relative Analgesia.

There are 3 types of sedation:

Local anaesthesia is produced by the application or injection of a drug to eliminate pain in a specific area in the mouth. Topical anaesthetics are frequently used to numb an area in preparation for administering an injectable local anaesthetic. Injectable local anaesthetics, such as Lidocaine, numb mouth tissues in a specific area of your mouth for a short period of time. We will probably inject a local anaesthetic before filling cavities, preparing your teeth for crowns, or for any surgical procedure. Local anaesthesia is the most commonly used form of anaesthesia in the dental office.

Conscious sedation can be used to help you relax during a dental procedure. We may administer an anti-anxiety agent, such as nitrous oxide, or a sedative, in combination with a local anaesthetic for pain. During conscious sedation, you will remain calm during treatment, yet, still be rational and responsive to speech and touch. Anti-anxiety agents and sedatives can be administered by mouth, inhalation or injection.

Deep sedation and general anaesthesia is used for complex procedures and for patients who have trouble controlling their movements or need a deeper level of anaesthesia during treatment. During deep sedation you will be unable to respond appropriately to verbal commands. During general anaesthesia you will be unconscious. This is what we specialize in and our most common sedation procedure.

Although taking any medication involves a certain amount of risk, the drugs that produce anaesthesia are entirely safe when administered by a trained anaesthesia provider. Dr. Fee is a fully trained and certified anaesthesiologist and his commitment to continuing education and the credentials of other personnel in the dental office who assist with this treatment are of utmost importance to this practice.

Please feel free to discuss any concern you may have regarding any of these procedures with Dr. Fee and/or his staff. It is our desire to ensure your visit is as comfortable and pain free as can be.