If you avoid dental work because you have anxiety, you are not alone. In fact, there is a large part of the population that doesn’t get the treatment they need because they are so nervous. To accommodate these patients, Dr. Akin offers several sedation dentistry options that make an appointment feel like a walk in the park.

Oral Sedation

If you have a procedure coming up that you are anxious about, you may be given an oral medication to help you relax before you even get to the office. Some common oral medications used in sedation dentistry are Halcion or Valium. The medication is likely to make you drowsy, but you remain awake and relaxed during the procedure. 

Inhaled Sedation

Most patients have heard of “laughing gas” which is the common term for nitrous oxide. A mask is placed over your nose before treatment, and the gas is given along with oxygen to help you relax before treatment. The laughing gas wears off fairly quickly after the mask is removed.

IV Sedation

Sedative drugs can also be given through a vein with an IV. This allows the medication to work faster and gives the periodontist the ability to adjust the sedations levels throughout the procedure.

General Anesthesia

With general anesthesia, you will be asleep during the entire procedure. A medication is administered through an IV that moves you into an unconscious state until it is removed. Typically, it takes a while to awaken from general anesthesia as the medication wears off, so this is definitely the most extreme option, but is often necessary for more in-depth procedures.

Comfortable and Pain-Free Are Our Goals

At Nashville Periodontal Group, our goal is to provide our patients with the treatments they need to stay healthy without the anxiety that comes from visiting the periodontist. If you want to learn more about sedation dentistry, contact our office today to schedule an appointment.