Sedation or sleep dentistry has several meanings, which can make it confusing to understand.

Basically, it describes varying degrees of unconsciousness, from the use of laughing gas, to relaxation pills to general anesthesia to IV sedation.

There’s lots of marketing hype about sedation dentistry and I’m sometimes asked why I don’t offer it. In my early years of practice, I used laughing gas and oral sedation. I noticed over the years that patients became dependent on sedation and required higher doses. Eventually some form of sedation was demanded and required for more dental procedures, even cleanings.

In addition, the deeper the sleep, the more traumatic is the procedure and subsequent healing process. During sleep, your lips can get pinched and your jaws can get overstretched and their ligaments taken beyond their limits. Thus the post-operative swelling and pain is greater than with local anesthetic. In addition, the respiratory risk, or the risk of slipping into a deeper anesthesia, are not risks I’m willing to take with my patients in the office. All of these factors, in my opinion, make sleep dentistry more traumatic.