Sedation and Anesthesia

Local Anesthesia
Local Anesthesia , typically known as “numbing” is the most common form of anesthesia used in the dental office. It is produced by the application or injection of a drug to eliminate the feeling and pain in a specific area of the mouth. The drug is often called Novocaine, even though Novocaine itself has not been used for many years. Today we use a similar, more effective drug called Lidocaine and sometimes drugs called Carbocaine, Septocaine, and Citanest. These different drugs all produce the same effect, but have a different duration of action.

Before administering a local anesthetic injection, we paint a topical anesthetic on the gums. This surface skin numbing is designed to reduce or eliminate the discomfort often associated with local anesthetic injections.

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Nitrous Oxide
Nitrous Oxide is commonly known as “laughing gas”, “happy gas”, or “sweet air”. This gas is administrated by way of a nasal mask. It is one of the oldest (first used in 1844) methods of anesthesia and it is estimated that about 35% of dental offices in the United States utilize nitrous oxide in their practice. Nitrous oxide anesthesia is available for your comfort at Acton Dental Associates.

Nitrous oxide produces a calming and somewhat euphoric effect. Local anesthesia is still necessary to perform dental procedures; however it usually enables the apprehensive patient to receive the necessary anesthetics with a minimum amount of apprehension.

The effects of nitrous oxide begin quickly upon breathing it and its effects will be completely gone within a few minutes of discontinuing its use. This is a major advantage since you can drive yourself to and from the office.

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Conscious Oral Sedation, "Sleep Dentistry"
For some patients, additional medication to control anxiety is necessary or desired. Oral sedatives can provide the needed anxiety control. We will often give the patients a prescription for a medication which they will take about an hour before the dental procedure. The purpose of this tablet is to sedate the patient into a very relaxed state which relieves anxiety and can produce a sleep like state.

For oral sedation, it is necessary to have someone drive you to and from the office as these medications cause drowsiness and make it unsafe for you to drive.

Your comfort is very important to us at Acton Dental. If there is any way we can improve your visit, please let us know. To discuss your particular needs or anesthesia choices please give us a call.

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