Cosmetic Dentistry in New Orleans, LA

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Patient Comfort Solutions in New Orleans, LA

StellaLife - The natural alternative to opioid medication

City Park Dental Care is proud to offer our patients StellaLife, an opioid free pain reliever that promotes healing and prevents swelling naturally. Our practice currently offers the Oral Care Recovery Kit, Oral Care Gel, and Oral Care Coconut Rinse. To learn more about StellaLife and how this product can help you during your dental treatment, please click here.

Nitrous Oxide

Nitrous oxide, commonly known as “laughing gas,” is a safe and effective sedative used in dental practices to help patients relax during procedures. It’s a colorless, odorless gas that you breathe in through a mask placed over your nose. Nitrous oxide helps reduce anxiety, making you feel calm and comfortable, while allowing you to remain awake and responsive. The effects wear off quickly after the mask is removed, so you can safely drive home after your appointment.

Advantages of Nitrous Oxide

Quick Relaxation: Nitrous oxide helps you feel calm and at ease within minutes, reducing anxiety during dental procedures.
Control Over Sedation: The level of sedation can be easily adjusted throughout the procedure to match your comfort needs.
Minimal Side Effects: Nitrous oxide has few side effects, and its effects wear off quickly once the mask is removed, allowing you to resume normal activities right after treatment.
No Need for Needles: Unlike some other forms of sedation, nitrous oxide is administered through a mask, avoiding the need for injections.
Safe for Most Patients: It is a widely used and safe option for both adults and children, making it a versatile choice for a variety of dental treatments.

In some cases, nitrous oxide may not be recommend for patients experiencing the following conditions:

Pregnancy: Pregnant women, especially in the first trimester, are generally advised to avoid nitrous oxide due to potential risks to the developing fetus.
Respiratory Conditions: Patients with certain respiratory issues, like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or severe asthma, may have difficulty breathing in nitrous oxide and should avoid its use.
Vitamin B12 Deficiency: Nitrous oxide can interfere with vitamin B12 absorption, so patients with a known deficiency or certain types of anemia should avoid it.

If you are unsure of using Nitrous Oxide during your dental procedure, Dr. Linhuber would be happy to give you a “5-minute trial” to see how you feel with this type of sedation method.

Oral sedation dentistry

Oral sedation dentistry involves using medication taken by mouth to help patients relax and feel at ease during dental procedures. It’s a form of conscious sedation where the patient remains awake but is in a deeply relaxed state, often feeling drowsy or mildly groggy. This approach helps reduce anxiety, discomfort, and the fear associated with dental visits. The most commonly prescribed dental related drugs that treat anxiety belong to the “benzodiazepine” family which includes drugs such as Valium, Halcion, Xanax, or Ativan. These drugs decrease anxiety by binding and toning down anxiety within “fear” receptors in the brain.

Advantages of oral sedation include:

Anxiety Relief: Sedation dentistry helps ease anxiety and fear, making dental visits more comfortable for patients with dental phobia.
Efficient Treatment: With sedation, multiple procedures can often be completed in a single visit, reducing the number of appointments needed.
Minimized Gag Reflex: Sedation can reduce the gag reflex, making it easier for the dentist to work in the mouth without interruptions.
Memory Loss of Procedure: Many forms of sedation cause partial or full memory loss of the procedure, so you won’t remember any of the details that might cause stress.

There are two different types of benzodiazepines:

Sedative-Hypnotics: These drugs induce calm, including drowsiness and even sleep. This sleep state is actually a form of hypnosis which is a form of physiological sleep.
Anti-Anxiety Drugs: These are drugs which relieve anxiety and induce a state of calm and relaxation.

Benzodiazepines function both as sedatives and anti-anxiety medications, with some specifically targeting areas of the brain related to sleep, while others focus more on the brain’s fear centers. Typically, higher doses of benzodiazepines act as sedatives and can induce sleep, whereas lower doses reduce anxiety without causing sedation.

These medications are also Central Nervous System (CNS) depressants, which can lead to decreased blood pressure and slowed breathing. It’s crucial not to mix benzodiazepines with other CNS depressants, such as alcohol, as this can be dangerous. Always follow the dosage recommended by your dentist. Overdosing can dangerously slow your breathing, potentially leading to coma or death.

Additionally, after taking benzodiazepines, you should not travel alone. Your safety is our main concern, so please be sure to have someone you trust available to drive you home from your dental appointment.

When not to take benzodiazepines:

Some of these drugs can affect your liver and heart. It’s important to check with your practitioner and/or pharmacist before taking these medications. You should inform your doctor or dentist if any of the following apply: known allergy to the drug, narrow-angle glaucoma, pregnancy, severe respiratory disease (COPD), congestive heart failure (CHF), impaired kidney or liver function, depression/bipolar disorder/psychosis, chronic bronchitis and some other conditions. It’s also important to let us know if you are taking other medications as there could be possible drug interactions.

City Park Dental Care