At Balboa Island Dentistry, located in Newport Beach, California, leading prosthodontist,Dr. Stephen G. Alfano provides sedation dentistry to those with severe dental anxiety. Dr. Alfano brings over two decades of experience in performing sedation dentistry to patients throughout Newport Beach and neighboring areas of Orange County.
Sedation Dentistry Q & A
What type of training is required to perform sedation dentistry?
Dr. Alfano and the entire staff at Balboa Island Dentistry have received extensive special training in dental conscious sedation. Only 1% of the dentists in the country have been qualified to administer conscious sedation dentistry and patients come from all over Orange County and Southern California to be treated using this comfortable, safe and effective technique.
What is Sedation Dentistry?
Sedation dentistry uses medicine such as Triazolam to help fearful patients relax and become comfortable while undergoing dental procedures. A small pill is taken one hour before you visit Dr. Stephen G. Alfano’s office. Triazolam is prescribed over ten million times per year for patients to use at home. The drug has almost no side effects or interaction with other medications. The effects last between two and four hours. When undergoing sedation dentistry, patients are required to have a friend or family member drive them to and from Dr. Alfano’s office.
Why is it Called Conscious Sedation?
Most patients fall asleep while under the effects of the sedation medication but are still able to respond to verbal requests. The patient is monitored with a pulse oximeter that measures heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen saturation during the entire appointment.
What are the Benefits of Dental Sedation?
Dental sedation enables patients who fear the dentist to be comfortable during any dental procedure, from a simple cleaning to more extensive treatment. It has an “amnesia quality,” so most patients have no memory of the procedure. It also enhances the effectiveness of any anesthesia administered. By using sedation dentistry, patients may also be able to sustain more procedures in a single visit and therefore require fewer visits overall. New techniques are making sedation dentistry safer and easier than ever. We often see patients who have put off going to the dentist for years now able to rest comfortably and have all their dental needs tended to.