Oral Conscious Sedation
Covington, WA
Oral Conscious Sedation provided by Kyle S. Blair, DDS
in Covington, WA at Covington Family Dental
 At Covington Family Dental, our dentists have the expertise and knowledge necessary to help you make the best choices about any sedation or anesthetic that you may need during your dental treatment plan. Though some dental procedures can be painful, we want to give you what help we can to make the experience as painless as possible. We can assist you in this through the use of oral sedation or pill sedation, which will involve giving you an appropriate pill sedative a few hours before your appointment begins.
What Is Oral Sedation?
If you have any anxiety about the dental work that we have planned for you, oral sedation can be the perfect tool for both putting you at ease and guaranteeing that any pain you experience will be minimal. Unlike other types of sedation that have to take place during the dental procedure itself, oral sedation lets you prepare ahead of time. The pill is a type of Benzodiazepine such as Xanax, Valium, or Halcion, which will decrease activity in your brain that can cause anxiety or fear. Consequently, some hours after taking the pill, you can arrive at our office in a very calm and relaxed mood that allows us to proceed effectively as your appointment begins.
What Are The Advantages Of Oral Sedation?
There are a number of reasons why you might prefer oral sedation over the use of nitrous oxide or intravenous sedation. Many patients we see have a strong distaste for the use of needles, and the use of a pill before the appointment means you will not have to worry about this at all. Oral sedation is also ideal for our patients who genuinely fear or dislike the work that we have to do on their teeth, as a strong dosage of Benzodiazepine can leave you with little to no memory of the procedure. Nonetheless, though you will feel drowsy at the time, you will still be awake, responsive, and able to listen and respond to our dentist’s guidance. Oral sedatives are a safe and responsible choice when it comes to your treatment plan, and side effects are very unlikely.
What Are The Disadvantages Of Oral Sedation?
However, there are some reasons why you may want to go with a different form of sedation. Oral sedatives do take some time before the effects kick in, which is why we ask you to take the pill at least an hour or so in advance of your appointment. By contrast, intravenous and nitrous oxide sedation is quick to activate. This delay may also make it difficult to adapt if we determine that you require more sedation before we proceed. Finally, it is worth noting that you can not drive to your appointment after taking an oral sedative. Make sure to take someone along so you can safely make it here and back.
If you think that the use of oral sedation might be right for you for an upcoming treatment and you would like to learn more, call us today at 253.499.6155.
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