Four Levels of Sedation
The above methods of eliminating anxiety provide a choice of 4 levels of unconsciousness:
· Anxiolysis – this is the lightest sedation. Nitrous Oxide is the most popular way of inducing this state. · Conscious sedation – this is a moderate level, created either by Nitrous Oxide or IV sedation, where you’re awake and able to respond to requests from the dentist or his nurse.
· Deep sedation – in this level you’re halfway between consciousness and unconsciousness, and may or may not be able to respond to requests. At this level, you’re being monitored, as described under intravenously above.
· General anesthesia – this is total unconsciousness, where you’ll be given breathing assistance and closely monitored.

Who is a Candidate for Sedation Dentistry?
Anyone could be a candidate for it, if they find that their fear is preventing them from obtaining dental care. Besides fear, there are some other scenarios that call for sedation dentistry:
· For young children, who have trouble sitting still for very long.
· For someone who has trouble controlling their movements, such as with cerebral palsy or Parkinson’s disease.

So there’s no need any more to allow fear or anxiety to deteriorate our teeth. We can now choose to have sedation dentistry, or even outright sleep dentistry. We can call a sedation dentist to schedule all the appointments we need, and can finally have all the dental work done that we’ve been postponing.