If you suffer from dental anxiety, you may benefit from inhalation conscious sedation. Inhalation sedation, or “laughing gas” (nitrous oxide), provides a sedative effect that can be an excellent solution for dental phobias. This sedation dentistry option can be an excellent way to decrease one’s fears about going to the dentist – a first step in obtaining the treatment necessary for a healthy, beautiful smile
“Sleep Dentistry”
Sleep dentistry, or sedation dentistry, is a dental solution designed for patients who dread going to the dentist. Many people feel afraid or uncomfortable when they are placed in vulnerable positions like the dental chair and may experience dental anxiety as a result. Sleep dentistry is an option for patients who fear dental procedures, fear needles, have difficulty with their gag reflex, have very sensitive teeth, or have difficulty becoming numb from oral injections.

Sleep dentistry offers pain-free and anxiety-free dental procedures as patients are in a deeply relaxed state, though fully responsive. Sleep dentistry also provides an opportunity to perform multiple or lengthy dental procedures in one session, minimizing the number of visits a patient has to make and ultimately reducing the build-up of anxiety prior to each dental visit.

Though in extreme cases, or for more complicated procedures, unconscious sedation through general anesthesia may be required, generally sleep dentistry involves conscious sedation. By the time they’ve arrived, patients will be awake, but drowsy, and anxiety-free. During the procedure, patients aren’t unconscious, but mentally “detached” from what’s going on, and before they know it, the dentist will be telling them the dental procedure is over and they can go home.

Inhalation Conscious Sedation Dentistry:

Inhalation sedation, or nitrous oxide-oxygen, is the most common sedation technique and is also known as laughing gas. Inhalation sedation is a preferable option as patients recover quickly and may leave the dental office alone and immediately resume their normal daily activities. Intravenous conscious sedation is a safe sedation technique and though it is not as readily available as other forms of sedation, it is more effective than administering the same drugs orally. Patients will not remember any of the procedure and will feel as though they were asleep, even though they were wide-awake throughout. When intravenous sedation is used, patients will need to be hooked up to monitoring devices to measure blood pressure, breathing, and heart rate. Patients must have someone escort them when leaving the office after the procedure. Intramuscular sedation involves injecting sedative drugs into the muscle of the upper arm or thigh and is a less common option, typically used in pediatric dentistry.

Anxious or phobic patients find that sleep dentistry offers a perfect solution for maintaining good dental health while being in a totally relaxed state. Sleep dentistry ensures that patients experience no pain or anxiety during their dental procedures, and prevents emergencies that could occur as a result of such anxiety, like fainting.
For extremely fearful dental patients, general anesthesia may be required.

Who can benefit from conscious sedation?

• The person who has:
  high fear of visiting the dentist
  had traumatic dental experiences
  difficulty getting numb
  who gag easily
  very sensitive teeth
  complex dental problems that require lengthy appointments
• Person who:
  hate needles and shots
  hate the noises, smells and tastes associated with the dental office
  people who are afraid and embarrassed about their teeth
  Will I feel any pain?
  Most patients feel no discomfort during their treatment and feel surprisingly good afterwards.
  Will I be totally relaxed, will I remember anything and will I feel groggy?
  You will receive just enough sedation so that you’ll be completely unaware of the treatment. At the end of the treatment, you’ll have little or no memory of your dental visit. You will feel just fine. For your safety, we do require that you have a family member or friend drive you home.

Inhalation “Happy Air” Conscious Sedation:

Nitrous oxide is mixed with oxygen to create a pleasant sedative air which can be breathed in through the nose via a small soft nose hood. This is a similar technique to “gas and air” used for women during labor. This is an extremely safe technique which reduces the sensations of pain and anxiety and creates a semi-hypnotic state for patients which makes them feel happy and comfortable. Patients will usually be aware of everything which is going on around them during the procedure but are more relaxed. Although patients are sedated during the procedure the recovery is fast with most patients feeling totally awake and in control within fifteen minutes after stopping the inhalation procedure. Therefore adult patients may not need an escort to accompany them.
This technique is suitable for most adults and children with mild anxiety where only a small number of teeth need filling or extracting, or where the teeth to be treated are in the same area of the mouth. It may also be more suited to patients with needle phobias or patients with more complex general medical problems who may not be appropriate for intravenous conscious sedation.

Benefits of Inhalation Conscious Sedation:

The benefits of inhalation conscious sedation include the fact that it:
· It acts quickly – in just a few minutes after the inhalation, the child becomes calm and relaxed
· It is flexible – sedation may be easily controlled until the child dreams with eyes wide open
· The recuperation time is short – after completing the treatment, the doctor stops the administration of nitrogen peroxide and administers only oxygen for a few minutes. In a maximum 5 minutes after interrupting the administration of nitrogen peroxide, the substance is eliminated completely from the body, and the effects disappear entirely. Children may perform any activity after visiting the dentist and adults may even drive home.
· Involves a relatively quick recovery; most patients are able to drive home from their dental appointment and resume normal activities immediately.
· Minimizes or eliminates mild to moderate degrees of dental anxiety.
· Does not require that patients take a pill prior to their appointment.
· Does not require injections.