In our Rancho Santa Margarita dental office, we practice sedation dentistry that can be used to reduce and prevent dental anxiety. Here are some of the questions we are regularly answer about sedation dentistry.

Typically not. Sleep dentistry is usually reserved for oral surgery and lengthy procedures. Sedation dentistry will help you relax and can make you drowsy, so some patients do nod off. However, with our sedation methods, you are still in control of your body and are technically not put to sleep.

To determine if you are healthy enough for sedation (most people are), we recommend that you schedule an appointment with our California dental office. Dr. Barrera will meet with you to discuss the type of sedation that will be best for your procedure and the level of dental anxiety that you are experiencing.

The most common form of sedation is taking a pill an hour before the procedure begins. One pill can help you to feel entirely relaxed and eliminate your fear of dentists. Most procedures, like teeth cleaning or fixing a simple cavity, do not necessarily hurt. With sedation, many people do not require additional medication. However, if you would like pain medication as well, we can give it to you after the sedation has taken effect.

Yes, with sedation dentistry you can continue to engage in conversation and respond to commands; but your response times may be slightly delayed and your mind not as clear as normal. This is why we recommend that you either have someone drive you home or wait until it has worn off completely before driving home after the appointment.

Most of the time, the sedation goes away within an hour of your procedure being complete. If you are more heavily sedated or put to sleep for oral surgery, it can take a couple of hours to feel normal but this is rare. In our Rancho Santa Margarita dental office, we use the least amount of sedation to help you to feel completely relaxed and comfortable. Thus, it is effective without staying in your system for too long.

Yes, children may need sedation when going through large amounts of dental work so that they can hold still long enough for a dentist to complete the dental work. This is a unique specialty and not offered at every dentist office.

Yes. Laser dentistry is transforming how professionals complete dental procedures. When you visit our 92688 dental office, you can be confident that we will use the latest technology available to make your procedure more comfortable. Lasers allow us to do so because the laser energy is fine and can target small spaces without irritating the surrounding tissue. We can also reduce discomfort and the recovery time thanks to dental lasers. The dental lasers are also less invasive than traditional dental tools. With the dental laser, there will be less bleeding and swelling than normal. Dental lasers can also help treat tooth decay, gum disease, and has applications in restorative procedures. If you want a more comfortable experience and to reduce your dental anxiety, we highly recommend visiting a laser dentistry office. To learn about the procedures that we perform using lasers, call (949) 709-1900 and schedule an appointment to speak with Dr. Barrera. At Arbours Aesthetic Dentistry, we find that many of our patients no longer need sedation or pain medication because the common factors that create fear of dentists are eliminated. For example, the noise, heat, and vibration that is traditionally associated with the dental drill is not present when using lasers.

To learn more about sedation dentistry, new dental technology or how to reduce your dental anxiety, call and schedule an appointment with our Rancho Santa Margarita dentist office today.