Austin and Round Rock Sedation Dentists
To help patients overcome anxieties or fears of visiting the dentist, Family Tree Dental Group offers sedation dentistry. Sedation dentistry involves using different types of medication to make patients feel more at ease during dental treatments. Any stresses or worries the patient feels fades away under sedation.
We offer a variety of sedation options to patients at Family Tree Dental Group. These sedation methods differ from general anesthesia, where the patient is “put to sleep”. Rather, patients will be awake during the procedure but will feel no pain. Under sedation, your brain is tricked into thinking time goes by faster. Dental treatments that take an hour may seem like 10 minutes.
Prior to your dental procedure, our dentists will sit down with you to understand your needs, explain sedation options, and address any concerns. Having over 7 years experience in sedation dentistry, Dr. Chad Denman and Dr. Shelby Denman regularly monitor patients during procedures to ensure they are comfortable and feel no discomfort. Sedation methods vary per patient and dental procedure.
- Novocaine- this is a liquid medication that is injected into areas of your mouth where treatment will be performed. The dentist will wait between five and fifteen minutes for the Novocaine to take effect. After the Novocaine kicks in, patients will experience a numbing sensation in their mouth, tongue and/or lips. The numbness allows the dentist to perform common dental procedures without the patient feeling pain. If you’re a patient that has a fear of needles, the dentist might recommend nitrous oxide in combination with Novocaine sedation.
- Nitrous Oxide (also known as laughing gas)- Nitrous oxide is the safest sedation method in dentistry and is non-allergenic. It is a faint, sweet smelling gas that is administered to patients through a mask placed over their nose. As patients breathe in the gas, they fall into a relaxed state that can be described as dream-like. Some patients experience a warm tingling sensation or a feeling of floating. Within 4 to 5 minutes, nitrous oxide acts as a pain killer.
- Oral Sedation (also known as anti-anxiety or happy pills)- Hours prior to your dental appointment, your dentist may prescribe you a pill that relieves anxiety and creates a feeling of calm. Since the pill causes drowsiness and disorientation, it is not safe for patients to drive after taking an oral sedative. We advise patients to arrange transportation to and from the dentist’s office.