8770 Wadsworth Blvd. Suite H, Arvada, CO 80003

 (303) 586-2874 – To Solve Your Dental Concerns, Call Us Today!

Latest News: AFC Dentistry and Advanced Dental Arts have merged in 2023!

Sedation Dentistry

To help eliminate fear and anxiety as a barrier to the dental treatment our patients need, Arvada Family and Cosmetic Dentistry offers sedation and “No Fear Sleep Dentistry”.

Dental sedation is a technique that can be used when a patient suffers from dental anxiety or dental phobia. We are happy to offer a number of solutions for our patients to make their dental visit as comfortable as possible. Sedation dentistry techniques enable patients – who might otherwise avoid the dentist – to receive dental treatment necessary for a healthy and beautiful smile.

Sedation dentistry also makes the experience easier for those patients who are not afraid but simply don’t want to be awake for a long procedure. With sedation, you can basically fall asleep at the start of the procedure and be woken up when it’s all done (like sleeping through a long airplane flight and waking up when the wheels touch down)!

The experience typically leaves patients feeling more relaxed and comfortable, even after a longer procedure than they would normally be able to sit comfortably for.

Sedation Dentistry with our Arvada Dentist - AFC Arvada Family and Cosmetic Dentistry Team

Varying Degrees of Sedation Dentistry

Depending on the extent of the anxiety or phobia, varying degrees of dental sedation can be utilized as described below.

Nitrous Oxide Sedation

Nitrous Oxide sedation, also known as “laughing gas” is commonly used to make treatment more comfortable. This sedation is inhaled through a mask that allows you to breathe in the medication and induces a state of relaxation. A local anesthetic will be administered in conjunction with nitrous oxide to eliminate pain. This technique is fast-acting and is also quick to dissipate so that an adult does not need an escort (and they are able to drive safely) within a few minutes after treatment. While this technique greatly relaxes the patient it will not generally cause them to sleep through a procedure.

Oral Medication Sedation

The patient swallows pills to bring them to a sleep-like level of consciousness. This technique is generally the slowest, usually taking from 30-90 minutes for the medicine to take effect, and is the hardest to control with regard to how sleepy the patient will be, but usually the patient can be made to sleep through the procedure if they wish to do so. This is for those patients that want to sleep through the procedure but do not want to experience any needle injections. Patients must have an escort to drive them home and stay with them until the effects of the sedation fully wear off.

IV Sedation

IV Sedation- The patient receives medicine via an IV line to bring them to a sleep-like state. This technique works fairly quickly (usually less than 5-10 minutes) and is very well controllable. This is for those patients who want to sleep through the procedure and are not afraid of needles outside of their mouths (i.e. injection in their arm is okay). Patients must have an escort to drive them home and stay with them until the effects of the sedation fully wear off.