How Does Dental Sedation Work?

You can feel completely safe when undergoing dental sedation. It is a proven treatment that reduces the fear and pain of dental procedures.

Smiling sedation dentistry patient giving the thumbs up after a treaetment at Staten Island Dental careDental sedation works by introducing sedatives into your body that relax your nerves and muscles. It can be done through three methods:

  • Oral conscious sedation
  • Intravenous sedation
  • “Sweet Air” inhaled sedation

Once sedatives enter a patient’s bloodstream, it reaches their central nervous system and works to slow it down. Patients in this state still remain aware of their surroundings. Their response to sights, sounds, smells and tastes from these surroundings changes. They become less concerned about what is going on around them and the reduction of stress is paired with a reduction in pain.

Using sedatives for dental procedures is not a new concept. Pain management has been a critical part of medicine for thousands of years. Alcohol, for example, was used extensively to dull pain in medical procedures until giving way to bromides and chloral hydrate in the 19th century. Sedation dentistry follows in this tradition of offering pain relief to patients.

We use the safest and most effective sedatives available

For oral sedation, Dr. Fred Hecht, MAGD, and his caring staff use Valium or Versed to help our patients enter a calm state before undergoing dental procedures. A local anesthetic, such as Novocain, is also used to numb the area of the mouth affected by the dental procedure.

Sedatives can be given as needed if a patient is undergoing multiple dental procedures over a longer period of time. In all cases, Dr. Hecht and the staff monitor each patient carefully to ensure they remain safe and comfortable.

Dental sedation can work for you if you feel anxiety and fear over receiving dental care.

Contact Us for Dental Sedation in Staten Island, NY

Contact our Staten Island sedation dentist to find out how sedation dentistry may help you. We can provide dental sedation for most procedures so don’t be afraid to ask! Click here to read some more frequently asked questions about dental sedation and sedation dentistry in Staten Island.