Light Oral Sedation in Sterling Heights, MI

For roughly 5 months we at St. Apollonia Dental have been gathering up the necessary requirements to offer a safe, effective, and easy means of providing light sedation to our patients who have dental fears and anxieties.

First, I would like to make clear that this type of sedation does NOT render the patient unconscious and does NOT require an I.V. or any other needles! The sedation we offer is in the form of oral medications which are routinely prescribed to millions of patients throughout the country on a regular basis. These medications belong to the category of anxiolytic drugs (anxiety reducing), they are safe and have a very low potential for abuse (DEA Schedule IV).

Chief in this class of anxiolytic medications are the Benzodiazepines. You may have heard of them by their more popular trade names; Valium (Diazepam), Ativan (Lorazepam), Halcion (Triazolam).

In addition to these well-known drugs, we occasionally use a medication named Atarax (Hydroxyzine) for controlling gagging, and another named Sonata (Zaleplon) for short appointments.

All these afore mentioned drugs are safe and allow us to help make your dental visit more comfortable. Add in nitrous oxide analgesia and it just does not get any better without going to more complex measures such as IV sedation and/or general anesthesia.

(Please note: sedation is offered at no charge for lengthy and/or complex procedures. There is, however, a charge if used for short appointments such as routine fillings, cleanings, etc.)