At Family First Dentistry of Anchorage we work to make your visit as painless and stress-free as possible. We offer a variety of options ranging from local anesthetic to IV sedation. Your dentist will discuss these options with you so that you can determine which is best for you.

Local Anesthesia
This is what the majority of people use and is administered via injection in the mouth. A topical anesthetic gel is swabbed on the area where the work will be done producing a numbing effect prior to injection of the anesthetic The advantage of a local anesthetics is that the patient remains conscious and fully aware throughout the procedure. Local anesthetics are typically employed for minor dental procedures.

Inhalation Analgesia (also known as Laughing Gas or Nitrous Oxide)
A mix of oxygen and Nitrous Oxide is inhaled nasally prior to and throughout the procedure. People usually experience an overall feeling of relaxation, tingling and numbness. Nitrous Oxide is a frequently requested type of anesthesia for people who have anxieties about dental procedures. One of the advantages of Nitrous is that the degree of sedation can be adjusted by regulating the mix of gases. Another is that the effects of Nitrous quickly dissipate so that there is no problem with the patient driving home after a procedure.

Oral Sedation
Oral sedation is given, in the form of a pill, before a dental procedure begins to diminish sensory awareness of pain, sounds and smells. The patient may feel as if they are asleep or feel sleepy but they are not fully unconscious.

Intravenous Sedation (IV Sedation)
IV sedation is a service that is not offered by most dentists and we are pleased to be able to offer it to our patients. The effects of IV sedation are similar to oral sedation. IV sedation is administered through an injection and is best used for shorter dental procedures. The benefits of IV sedation are that the the onset of sedation is almost immediate and the level of sedation can be adjusted. Amnesia is a common side effect of IV sedation and oral sedation, leading many people to believe that their procedure lasted only a few minutes.

General Anesthesia
General anesthesia is not a type of sedation dentistry. General anesthesia produces complete unconsciousness with effects that may linger hours after the completion of a procedure. This method of anesthesia is not employed at Family First Dentistry.

Whenever you employ sedation, you should plan to have an escort accompany you to the procedure and drive you home afterwards. It is also advisable that someone be with you at home for an another two to four hours.