Sedation Dentistry Can Simplify Dental Care for Seniors

There are many reasons that getting routine dental care can be hard on senior citizens and their caretakers.  Sitting in the chair for a long time can be hard on arthritic or failing joints.  Patients with Alzheimer’s or dementia can fade in and out of lucid moments and become frightened or disoriented during treatment and make sudden movements that could betray the dental professional’s hand, resulting in damage to teeth, restorations, or other injuries.  Dr. Jack Bodie offers both oral and IV sedation to help prevent physical and emotional distress in elderly patients.

For oral sedation, Dr. Bodie will prescribe an oral sedative such as Halcyon that should be taken 30 minutes to 1 hour before treatment.  The patient will fall into a deep, peaceful sleep that should last for up to four hours.  This is plenty of time for routine cleanings and placement of crowns or fillings. 

For patients requiring more complex dental procedures, or who have difficulty swallowing oral medications, IV sedation can be an effective alternative.  Our office employs a credentialed anesthesiologist who can administer and monitor anesthesia and the patient’s vital signs throughout treatment.  This enables patients to receive care in the comfort of our office without need to check in to a surgical facility.

Your loved one or patient will wake with little or no memory of the procedure.  If appropriate, Dr. Bodie may prescribe pain relievers for aftercare, but in most cases the patient will be fine with an NSAID over the counter pain reliever like Aspirin or Tylenol. If you have an older loved one that may be concerned with visits to the dentists call our office at 972-512-0926 and we can help by giving them the comfort and care they need through sedation dentistry.

For your consultation call us today at 972-52-0926!