Downtown Calgary Sedation Dentistry

If you suffer from mild to moderate anxiety about visiting the dentist, nitrous oxide might be right for you. This effective and safe sedation option offers pain management and reduced anxiety, allowing you to receive the oral treatment you may have been putting off. Commonly known as laughing gas, nitrous oxide is a mild sedation that is administered through a small mask that fits over your nose, enabling you to breathe in a mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen. It is very effective for the management of anxiety and pain and can help patients relax and feel more comfortable during dental treatments.

Oral sedation offers an effective and safe way of offering sedation to manage pain and anxiety, allowing you to receive the treatment you require. Also called conscious sedation, oral sedation involves taking a prescribed dose of sedative medication, in pill form, before your procedure in order to lessen the anxiety related to the experience. An initial dose is usually taken approximately one hour before your procedure, but each patient is different. There may be additional dosing taken on the night before the procedure, to help with any anxiety-related insomnia. Ultimately, the amount of medication you take will depend on your specific case and will be decided by your dentist. The dental procedure, your body mass, the length of the appointment, and your comfort level are all things that your dentist will factor in when deciding what the right amount of sedation medication is right for you. Oral sedation significantly relaxes you, though you may remain completely awake, thereby helping to alleviate any stress and anxiety.