Three sedative options designed to ensure your most comfortable, fear-free dental visit

Your smile’s “peak” health and beauty depend on consistent, routine visits to Alpine Family Dental. However, our team also appreciates that dental fears and anxiety can stand between you and the appointments you need to maintain your best oral health. For this reason, we are proud to support a comfortable, welcoming, and inviting environment and experience at our office in Kalispell, Montana.

Our kind, nonjudgmental and highly qualified professionals use several “helpers” in the form of dental sedation to keep you relaxed at every turn. The most appropriate method is based on and tailored to your personal needs. We are pleased to introduce you to the various options, including IV sedation, to remove barriers to essential care for your smile, overall health, and quality of life.

Option No. 1: “Light” sedation

For patients with mild anxiety or apprehension, our dentists may recommend nitrous oxide. This option is appropriate for patients of all ages, including children. The relaxing gas is inhaled through a small and comfortable nasal mask. You can breathe freely; as you do so, this blend of sedating gas and oxygen quickly takes effect. You feel a sense of well-being and as if nothing bothers you. Nitrous oxide is sometimes referred to as “laughing gas” due to the temporary feelings of euphoria or even giddiness associated with it. While this method has a rapid onset, it clears your system quickly. Since the effects wear off quickly, you do not need to arrange transportation to and from your treatment. You can drive home safely and enjoy the rest of your day and busy schedule without missing a beat.

Option No. 2: Oral sedation

Think of oral sedation as a “step up” from the above “mild” counterpart regarding its relaxing effects. Not all dentists have the qualifications to provide this form of sedation. They may only offer nitrous oxide as an option. While laughing gas is not associated with lingering effects and is safe for many patients, it may not be adequate for some individuals with more severe dental anxiety. True to its name, oral sedation involves reviewing your medical history and evaluating your situation to then prescribe that appropriate sedative medication in pill form. It is essential to take the pill as directed by your dentist. Once the pill has taken effect, you will feel relaxed and at ease without care. Unlike more profound sedation methods, you remain in control. You stay awake and able to communicate with us throughout treatment. Unlike nitrous oxide, you will need to have reliable transportation. Oral sedation is associated with lingering grogginess, which makes it unsafe to operate any form of machinery afterwards and until the effects entirely wear off. It should also be noted that oral sedation is suitable for many patients because we can select the best medication and dosage to address each individual’s level of fear or anxiety.

Option No. 3: Deeper sedation

IV sedation involves administering relaxing medication intravenously. To be qualified to offer this more profound sedation method, Dr. Greg Eller acquired more than 100 hours of specialized training in IV conscious (moderate) sedation. Dr. Eller’s extensive training also includes certification in Advanced Cardiac Life Support. In addition to pursuing continuing education in IV sedation, he boasts an expanded license through the State of Montana. So our patients can trust that their procedure is in exceptionally safe and capable hands. The effects of IV sedation can be quickly adjusted during treatment to ensure a safe and comfortable experience. Patients are not “put to sleep” or “put under.” But you may become so relaxed that you doze off. All it takes to get your attention is light verbal or tactile stimuli. Since some dental fears are rooted in past negative experiences at other dentists’ offices, patients appreciate that IV sedation can have a partial or total amnesiac effect. So, you will likely not remember any triggering sounds, sensations, smells, or sights.

And even individuals with needle phobia can still benefit from IV sedation at Alpine Family Dental! Just ask us how – call our team in Kalispell, MT today at (406) 393-8877.

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