Sleep Dentistry in Inglewood CA

Dentist Inglewood

New Image Dental
1608 Centinela Ave, Ste 7, Inglewood, CA 90302
(310)216-9600
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Sleep dentistry is a service from New Image Dental in Inglewood. Some of our patients from our dental office face dental anxiety even for an exam, X-ray, teeth cleaning, or teeth whitening. There may be many reasons for this fear and anxiety of the dentist. But it is possible to have a painless experience at a dental office that is free from anxiety and pain with sedation sleep dentistry.

Sleep Dentistry in Inglewood

Modern dental technology has a solution for patients who are anxious. Sedation or sleep dentistry is a simple solution for going to the dentist despite having dental anxiety. Sleep or sedation blocks your sensation of pain and can ensure maximum comfort while at the dentist’s office.

When you are anxious about a dental procedure, your pain threshold goes down, making you hypersensitive to every sensation. Delaying necessary dental work can cause dental issues to develop into more uncomfortable and expensive dental problems as well as affect your overall health.

With sedation or sleep dentistry, you can feel relaxed and at ease during dental visits. You are still in a semi-awake state, but sedation allows you to have insensitivity to pain. Sedation dentistry can help you with fewer dental appointments because dentists from New Image Dental in Inglewood can often work quicker with less painful experience than while you are not fully conscious.

Sedation or sleep dentistry can benefit both children, adults, and seniors. Sedation dentistry may be recommended for those with extreme dental anxiety, claustrophobia, severe teeth sensitivity, fear of needles, and those with special needs.

Los Angeles is a large city and finding the right dentist near Inglewood is important for your long-term dental care. New Image Dental offers a variety of sedation dentistry treatments and new patient specials.

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What are Sedation Dentistry Options?

There are three main types of sedation used in modern dentistry. The types of sedation a dentist may recommend during a procedure is based on your level of anxiety, length of procedure, and health history.

It is also important to inform your dentist if you drink alcohol or smoke. Depending on the type of sedation a dentist recommends, you may need someone to drive you to and from your dental appointment in Inglewood so that while the medication wears off you are not behind the wheel.

Nitrous Oxide Dental Sedation

The first type of sedation is called nitrous oxide, more commonly known as “laughing gas.” This is one of the safest and simplest types of sedation and has been used in dental offices for almost 100 years.

Nitrous oxide is not a great pain reliever but is a very good anti-anxiety medication. It is inhaled through a mask placed over the nose with the effects felt within three to five minutes. The oxygen mixed with nitrous oxide creates a light-headed or euphoric feeling.

A dentist can adjust dosages throughout your procedure for your comfort. After the treatment is over, a dentist gives you pure oxygen to flush nitrous oxide out of your system. Nitrous oxide leaves your system so quickly so that you can drive home after the procedure and there is no hangover effect.

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oral conscious sedation Dentistry

The next type of sedation is oral conscious sedation. This is a popular option of sedation in our Inglewood dental office as many people may also have a fear of needles. A dentist gives you a sedative medication, which is usually a pill that is either swallowed whole or dissolved under the tongue, an hour or more before the procedure.

The medication begins to work in minutes. The most common sedative medication is triazolam, which is in the diazepam family. Other medication options may include zaleplon and lorazepam. For children, dentists often use liquid sedation such as midazolam oral syrup. This type of oral sedation will allow you to still communicate with your dentist but may make you very groggy and possibly fall asleep. A gentle nudge will wake you up from this type of sedation.

Additionally, oral sedation will help reduce your memory of the experience, even though you are conscious the whole time. With this type of oral sedation, you would not be able to drive yourself home after the procedure and we require you to have a safe ride home from our office.

intravenous sedation Dentistry

The third type of sedation is intravenous sedation. This is the most potent and deepest form of conscious sedation, and it is delivered directly through the bloodstream. During the procedure, blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen levels are monitored by a dentist as this type of sedation has an immediate effect on the body and its functions.

This medication allows you to fall asleep with little or no memory of the procedure when woken up. Known as sleep dentistry. There is a higher risk associated with this type of sedation compared to the other two and requires a higher level of training for the dentist administering it. Your dentist will monitor you with specialized equipment. This type of sedation is best for long procedures or for those with severe dental anxiety.

Occasionally, general anesthesia may be used in dentistry. General anesthesia would have to be performed in a hospital or surgery center for children as well as those with special needs or extreme dental anxiety. This procedure entails an anesthesiologist who accompanies the dentist during your visit.

Before deciding on sedation dentistry, you can talk to a dentist at New Image Dental about sedation and sleep dentistry options. A dentist will discuss your health history and ask about any medications you may be taking. Once a dentist gathers all the necessary information, they will make a sedation recommendation based on your needs.

Before going into a procedure that involves sedation, you will need to avoid eating and drinking for at least 8 hours before your dental appointment. Additionally, if you are taking any blood thinners, your dentist may recommend skipping your medication for a few days before the procedure.

Is Sleep Dentistry Safe?

Sedation sleep dentistry is typically safe. Possible short-term risks of sedation dentistry may include drowsiness, dry mouth, headaches, and nausea. It is safe for children as well with possible short-term side effects such as irritability, snoring, fever, and nausea. Side effects are minimal and will usually fade within hours. Sedation sleep dentistry is not recommended for people who are pregnant.

The cost of sedation sleep dentistry varies based on the method used, the dosage administered, the length of time sedated, and the extent of the treatment.

Recovery times for sedation sleep dentistry vary based on the type of sedation used. If your dentist chooses to use nitrous oxide, you will recover between 15 to 30 min. On the other hand, oral conscious sedation and intravenous sedation may take up to 24 hours to wear off.