Sedation dentistry · Eagle River, AK
If dental visits are hard, you are not alone. See what a visit at Legacy Dental Arts can look like, how you stay in control during treatment, and the comfort and sedation options to discuss with our team. Your health history and planned care come first; nothing here is a recommendation.
Signature experience The Comfort Experience
01 of 05 · Before your visit
Follow a visit from the first conversation to the day after. Your team explains what applies to you.
Stage 01
It starts with a conversation. The team reviews your health history and medications, asks what makes visits hard, and explains which comfort and sedation options could be discussed for your planned care. If a sedation option is planned, you receive preparation instructions in advance.
A question to bring“What do I need to arrange before my visit, and will I need a driver?”
Stage 02
A familiar place, at your pace. Tell the team what helps on the day. Blankets, breaks and a hand signal to pause are available at any appointment, and you can ask about the comfort menu before anything begins.
A question to bring“What should I tell you on the day if I start to feel anxious?”
Stage 03
You stay in control. Raise a hand to pause at any time, ask for a break, and ask what comes next. The team explains each step, and when sedation is used your vital signs are monitored throughout treatment.
A question to bring“How will you check on me during treatment?”
Stage 04
Time to recover. You are observed until you are ready to leave. After nitrous oxide the effect wears off within minutes; after oral or IV sedation you will need someone to drive you home.
A question to bring“What should my driver know?”
Stage 05
Clear next steps. You leave with aftercare instructions for your treatment and know who to contact with a question. Plan the rest of the day around how you may feel.
A question to bring“Who should I contact with a question afterward?”
Sequence and timing vary by person and treatment. Your team explains what applies to you, and sedation is only discussed after your health history is reviewed.
Choose a signal or a comfort item to see how it works during treatment.
Ways to signal
What the team does
Comfort items
Ways to signal
Pause at any time.
Agree the signal before treatment starts. When you raise a hand the team pauses, checks in, and continues only when you are ready.
Ways to signal
Breaks are part of the plan.
Longer appointments can include short breaks. Ask for one whenever you need to sit up, rinse, or simply rest for a moment.
Ways to signal
No surprises.
The team explains each step and makes room for questions. Ask them to tell you more, or less, depending on what helps you.
What the team does
Vital signs watched throughout sedation.
When a sedation option is used, your vital signs are monitored throughout treatment. Dr. Penfield has advanced sedation training through DOCS and ADMA.
Comfort items
Warmth helps.
Ask for a blanket at any appointment.
Comfort items
Something to watch.
Watch Netflix, Prime Video, or Disney+ on overhead screens while we work.
Comfort items
Unwind during your visit.
Unwind in a massage chair during your visit.
Comfort items
A soothing paraffin treatment.
Enjoy a soothing paraffin hand-wax treatment while you receive care.
Comfort items
Complimentary for any appointment.
Often called laughing gas. It creates a calming effect within minutes and wears off quickly, so you can drive yourself home. It’s complimentary at Legacy for any appointment. Ask whether it is appropriate for your health history.
Comfort items are offered as available. Mention what helps when you book and on the day.
Tick what would help. Your list stays on this page; it is not saved, sent, or scored.
Tick what applies and your list appears here, ready to read out or write down.
Private by design: nothing is saved or sent, and the list clears when you leave the page. Health history and medications are discussed with the team, not here. This list does not assess anxiety or recommend an option.
Compare the sedation options to discuss with the team. Selecting one here does not recommend a treatment.
Mild · complimentary
What it is
Often called laughing gas. It creates a calming effect within minutes and wears off quickly, so you can drive yourself home. It’s complimentary at Legacy for any appointment.
How it generally feels
A calming effect within minutes that wears off quickly once it is stopped.
How you prepare
No driver is needed; you can drive yourself home. Your health history is reviewed first.
Often discussed for
Routine visits and mild nervousness.
A question to bring“Is nitrous appropriate for my health history?”
Moderate
What it is
A prescribed pill taken before your visit helps you feel drowsy and far less apprehensive. Most patients stay awake but deeply relaxed, and remember little of the appointment.
How it generally feels
Drowsy and far less apprehensive. Most patients stay awake but deeply relaxed and remember little of the appointment.
How you prepare
A prescribed pill is taken before your visit as instructed. You will need someone to drive you home.
Often discussed for
Moderate anxiety or longer appointments.
A question to bring“When should I take the prescribed medication, and what should my driver know?”
Deep
What it is
Works quickly and lets our dentists adjust dosing continuously throughout treatment. Ideal for more involved procedures or patients with significant dental fear.
How it generally feels
Deeper relaxation than oral sedation, but not general anesthesia. The dentist adjusts dosing continuously throughout treatment.
How you prepare
Preparation instructions are given in advance. You will need someone to drive you home, and it may take longer to fully clear.
Often discussed for
Complex treatment and high anxiety.
A question to bring“Who will provide my sedation, and what preparation instructions apply to me?”
| Option | Level | How it is given | Drive yourself home? | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrous oxide | Mild · complimentary | Inhaled during treatment | Yes | Complimentary for any appointment |
| Oral sedation | Moderate | A prescribed pill before your visit | No, you will need a ride | A fee, included in your written estimate |
| IV sedation | Deep | Through a vein, adjusted during treatment | No, you will need a ride | A fee, included in your written estimate |
Sedation involves medication and, like any medical treatment, carries risks. Suitability depends on your health history, medications and planned care, which the team reviews with you first. Vital signs are monitored throughout sedation. Not a recommendation.
Illustrations are conceptual. They do not show Legacy’s treatment rooms, specific equipment or medications, and they are pending clinical review. An examination and a review of your health history are needed before any comfort or sedation option is planned.
01A conversation about your health history comes first
02Blankets, breaks, and a hand signal to pause anytime
03Vital signs monitored throughout sedation
Sedation questions
Sedation involves medication and, like any medical treatment, carries risks. Dr. Penfield has advanced sedation training through DOCS and ADMA, we review your health history and medications first, and your vital signs are monitored throughout treatment. Ask about the risks, benefits and alternatives for your situation.
With nitrous oxide and oral sedation most patients remain awake but relaxed, and many remember little of the visit. IV sedation is deeper but is not general anesthesia. How you respond varies, so discuss what to expect for your planned care.
Nitrous oxide wears off within minutes and you can drive yourself home. Oral sedation lasts several hours and IV sedation may take longer to fully clear; for both you will need someone to drive you. Timing varies by person.
Nitrous oxide is complimentary at Legacy for any appointment. Oral and IV sedation have a fee that we include in your written estimate.
Comfort options for children depend on age, health history and the planned care. Ask our team which options apply to your child.
Your next step · Eagle River, Alaska
A conversation is a good place to start. Bring your questions about comfort and sedation to Legacy, and your comfort list if you made one.
Denali National Park, Alaska · NPS Photo / Tim Rains · Public domain. The landscape is not the view from our practice.
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