At Eagle Mountain Family Dental, we recognize that dental anxiety is a significant problem that many of our patients face. For your comfort, Dr. Bateman is trained and certified to provide safe sedation including nitrous oxide, oral conscious sedation and Intravenous (IV) conscious sedation.
Nitrous oxide is a time-tested solution for calming patients during their procedure. It’s been safely used for over 100 years and is even mild enough to use with children.
Also called inhalation sedation, nitrous oxide is a slightly sweet-smelling gas that you inhale through a small, comfortable nasal mask. In just a few moments, you will start to feel very calm and relaxed. You may feel euphoric, and the sights and sounds around you will seem far away. The goal of nitrous oxide is not to put you to sleep, although you may feel drowsy. The effects of nitrous leave your body quickly so that you can drive yourself home from your appointment.
With oral conscious sedation, Dr. Bateman prescribes a calming medication that you should take about an hour before your appointment. Oral sedation is heavier than nitrous oxide, and Dr. Bateman recommends it for patients with more intense anxiety. The medication will make you feel very calm and relaxed, and some patients do fall asleep during treatment. This medication stays in your body for several hours, so you will need someone to drive you safely to and from your appointment.
With IV conscious sedation, an IV is placed in your hand or elbow and medications are administered to make you relax - often times a patient falls asleep during the appointment. A side effect of this medication is amnesia, so often times patients forget the experience. You will need someone to drive you safely to and from your appointment because this medication also stays in your body for several hours.
We want to help you get the comfortable dental care you need and deserve. If you would like to learn more about sedation dentistry at our Azle, TX dental office, please call us at (817) 444-3890.