For health. For beauty. For you.

Making regular visits to your dentist is one of the best ways to preserve the health of your teeth and to prevent future, more extensive dental procedures from being necessary. The thought of going to the dentist creates a great deal of anxiety in some patients, and some people are so fearful of going to a dentist that they simply never go, causing their dental problems to only get worse.

Now there is an area of cosmetic dentistry that has made going to the dentist a bearable, if not pleasant experience, for the millions of people who have avoided the dentist for years. Sedation dentistry just may be the answer you have been looking for to alleviate the fear and anxiety you experience just thinking about sitting in your dentist' chair.

Sedation dentistry is the perfect solution for most patients who suffer from dental anxiety. Sedation dentistry options can make your next dental visit more relaxing, more comfortable and anxiety-free.

Who Could Benefit from Sedation Dentistry?

• Patients who fear needles
• Patients who have difficulty becoming numb after Novocaine
• Patients requiring multiple dental procedures
• Patients have had bad past experiences at the dentist
• Patients have a strong gag reflex
• Patients suffering from other physical disabilities.

Methods of Sedation

Dr. Patel may give you nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, which relaxes you without impairing your consciousness of what’s going on around you. He may also use a one of the many medications available to sedate you. With these medications, you will be extremely relaxed, but you will be awake and aware of what is going on around you. Sedation dentistry does not put the patient to sleep. Some the most commonly used drugs to sedate dental patients are triazolam, diazepam (Valium), lorazepam (Ativan) zaleplon (Sonata) and hydroxyzine (Vistaril).

All of these medications are safe and effective. Since all of these drugs work in different ways and last for different amounts of time, Dr. Patel will discuss the differences with you and decide which drug is most appropriate for the dental work you are having done.

Some of these medications make you drowsy enough that you may drift off during your procedure. Sometimes the sedative/analgesic is given in pill form and sometimes it is administered intravenously. For obvious reasons, being sedated before a dental procedure requires that you have someone with you to drive home.

Sedation dentistry is not for everyone, but for those who have been avoiding getting their teeth fixed due to fear of the dentist, sedation dentistry is the solution they've been looking for.

Please contact The Center of Cosmetic & General Dentistry today to schedule your complimentary consultation with Dr. Tejas Patel, serving patients in the Austin, Texas and surrounding areas.