As you have probably heard, sedation dentistry is the hottest trend in the dental industry.
Patients no longer have to fear visiting the dentist because they now offer different methods of sedation that allow patients to sleep through cleanings and procedures.
It is important to realize that there are different ways to sedate a patient.
The two most popular forms of sedation used in dental practices are intravenous and oral sedation.
Keep in mind that both of these methods are considered to be "conscious sedation" methods.
In other words, the patient remains conscious the whole time but will not feel anything or remember anything.
Let's discuss the difference between the two most popular methods for putting a patient to sleep in the dental chair:

1. Intravenous Sedation Intravenous sedation, also referred to as I.
   V.
   sedation, is when the active sedation medicine is injected into the patient's blood stream, almost always through an "IV" in the arm.
   This can also be done through a single shot in other common places of the body.
   One of the benefits of this sedation method is the fact that more of the sedation medicine can be injected at any time before or during the procedure.
   Sometimes dentist can see that a patient is coming out of a sedated state and will quickly inject more medicine.
   
2. Oral Sedation Oral sedation is one of the most common ways that patients are put to sleep.
   The word "oral" refers the mouth region.
   This method requires the patient to swallow the medication that will put them to sleep, whether it is in pill or liquid form.
   Some patients like this because they are scared of the pain that comes from needles and/or injections.
   One of the downfalls of oral sedation is the time it takes to become active.
   It will take a patient some time before they feel the effects of the medicine.
   This method is also not as predictable as intravenous sedation because it has a tendency to affect people in different ways.
   The dosage of medication has to be altered depending on physical and genetic features of the patient, including weight, age and any medications that the particular patient is taking.
   

As mentioned before, these are the two most common forms of sedation used in the dental field.
When looking for a dentist that offers this technology, it is import to inquire about the method they use to put their patients to sleep.
This will allow you to choose the dentist that best fits your needs.