Dental sedation covers a variety of techniques used to either calm a patient before and during a dental procedure or to make patients more comfortable during long procedures. You’re probably familiar with laughing gas, which many people receive before dental procedures such as getting crowns or root canals. However, dental sedation is a more varied and complex field than just laughing gas, with lots of options for patients who feel anxiety or even fear at the thought of going to the dentist’s office.
Dental sedation is not part of the pain management your dentist will give you. Numbing agents and shots cover that part of the procedure. However, if getting a shot in your gums is frightening to you, dental sedation can calm you to a point where you can handle receiving that shot. With certain types of sedation, you may not even remember receiving the procedure, even though you’re awake for it.