What kind of sedation do we offer in the office?

In certain health-related situations, health or stress related, patients may opt or be offered to use sedation to alleviate stress and pain of the dental procedure. The method of sedation chosen for or by a patient depends upon the nature of the surgical procedure and the patient’s level of apprehension.

What do we offer at Aurora Bayview North Family Dental?

Our office offers our patients options of an oral anesthetic given prior to the appointment, as well as local anesthetic injections. For the duration of the appointment, we additionally provide nitrous oxide (laughing gas) as well as an option of moderate Intravenous Sedation sedation

The option of laughing gas sedation will be administered and monitored by our dentist. Nitrous Oxide is a sweet smelling, non irritating, colourless gas which you can breathe. Nitrous Oxide has been the primary means of sedation in dentistry for many years. Patients are able to breathe on their own and remain in control of all bodily functions. The patient may experience mild amnesia and may fall asleep not remembering all of what happened during their appointment.

The other alternative is Intravenous Sedation (IV sedation). It helps you to be comfortable and calm when undergoing dental procedures. It is designed to better enable you to undergo your dental procedures while you are very relaxed; it will enable you to tolerate as well as not remember those procedures that may be very uncomfortable for you. IV sedation will essentially help alleviate the anxiety associated with your treatment. You may not always be asleep but you will be comfortable, calm and relaxed, drifting in and out of sleep.If you choose the option of intravenous sedation your IV sedation/anesthesia is administered and monitored by the anesthesiologist.

A thin needle will be introduced into a vein in your arm or hand. The needle will be attached to an intravenous tube through which medication will be given to help you relax and feel comfortable. At times a patient’s vein may not be maintainable, in these situations the medications will be administered and the needle retrieved – both scenarios will achieve the same desired level of conscious sedation. Once again some patients may be asleep while others will slip in and out of sleep. Some patients with medical conditions and/or on specific drug regimens may only be lightly sedated and may not sleep at all.

The goal of IV sedation is to use as little medication as possible to get the treatment completed. It is very safe, much safer than oral sedation. With IV sedation a constant “drip” is maintained via the intravenous tube. At any time an antidote can be administered to reverse the effects of the medications if necessary.