San Diego Sedation Dentistry - San Diego, CA

Conscious Sedation is defined as a minimally depressed level of consciousness that retains the patient's ability to independently and continuously maintain an airway and respond appropriately to physical stimulation and verbal command and that is produced by pharmacological or non-pharmacologic method or combination thereof.

Sedation dentistry, sometimes called relaxation dentistry, refers to the way dentists manage pain and anxiety during dental appointments.

Unlike general anesthesia where patients are completely unconscious, asleep, and unable to respond,  patients under conscious sedation, are able to respond to commands and breath on their own. 

There are many different ways that sedation drugs can be administered. There are two primary ways that sedation is administered at our office: 
 
1. Enteral Conscious Sedation (orally administered sedation), sometimes called sedation dentistry is administered by taking a pill. All body functions remain normal and patients are able to breathe their own. Patients will often fall asleep. Some degree of amnesia is common. The disadvantage with this method of sedation, is that the level of sedation for each patient is not predictable. 

2. Inhalation Conscious Sedation (nitrous oxide/oxygen sedation) also known as laughing gas is the most frequently used sedation method used in dentistry. All bodily functions remain normal and patients are able to breathe on their own. Patients will often fall asleep and experience some degree of amnesia about what happened during their dental appointment. Inhalation Sedation has been used by dentists for many years.