"I have been a patient of Dr. Shraders for about 30 years and have always had excellent service. Dr. Kim is carrying on that tradition. I have always been a little nervous about dentist appointments and my fears have always been eased by the manner and professionalism of your team. I will alway recommend others to your practice."

Patty Shaughnessey

Sedation Dentistry

Many people are frightened of the dentist for many different reasons. Some have had horrible experiences in their past and can’t overcome the trauma from the past. Others are scared of the needles or potential pain. If fear of the dentist is preventing you from getting treatment you know is necessary, sedation dentistry may be the answer. We offer “sleep” dentistry, nitrous oxide, and for more advanced needs we have access to an anesthesiologist.

What is Sedation?

Various drugs can relax and make you calm. These drugs can be delivered orally or intravenously (IV). Oral sedation is the most commonly used modality and we typically used halcyon in our office. However, if a deeper level of sedation or general anesthesia is desired, we can have an anesthesiologist present during the procedure to monitor you throughout the procedure. A benefit of this is that the dentist can focus on dentistry instead of monitoring vitals constantly. For those clients that have serious health complications, it’s a nice benefit to have a trained MD who sedates those sorts of clients on a daily basis and knows how to deal with complications immediately. For those who don’t require this level, either simple oral sedation or nitrous oxide should be enough to relax you.

Even with sedation, a local anesthetic needs to be used. However, the anesthetic is placed after you are sedated so you may not even remember the injection.

An important note is that you must have a driver to take you to and from the appointment. The caregiver should also be able to staywith you for two to four hours after the appointment to make sure everything is OK.

Sedation dentistry if perfect for smile makeovers or extensive reconstruction. What normally would take many visits may be accomplished in a few with the aid of sedation.

Please contact Riverside sedation dentistry expert Dr. Kim if you have any questions or would like to know if you’re a candidate for sedation.