The short answer
Infinite Dental Wellness does not offer sedation dentistry. What it offers instead is control: each step explained before it happens, a hand signal that pauses the work, topical numbing before any injection, local anesthetic given slowly, breaks, and appointments paced to you. Laser dentistry may reduce drilling for some procedures. If you need nitrous oxide, oral or IV sedation, or general anesthesia, ask for a referral to a dentist who holds the permit for it.
General information, not a diagnosis. Your dentist will examine your mouth before recommending treatment.
If the thought of the chair makes your stomach tighten
Dental anxiety is common, and it usually has a reason. Many people trace it to a past visit where numbing did not work, where they felt unable to stop what was happening, or where nobody explained anything. Others simply dread the sounds and smells. Whatever the cause, avoiding care tends to make the next visit harder, because small problems grow into bigger ones while you wait.
This guide is for the moment you are deciding whether this office can work for you. The honest starting point is that Infinite Dental Wellness does not offer sedation dentistry of any kind: no nitrous oxide, no sedative pills, no IV sedation. Comfort here is built without medication beyond local anesthetic. For many anxious patients that is enough. For some it is not, and the sections below help you tell which you are.
What this office does instead of sedation
The approach on the dental anxiety page comes down to control and information. Before any instrument is picked up, the dentist explains what will happen, what you may feel and how long it will take. You agree on a hand signal you can raise at any time, and when you raise it the work stops. You can take breaks whenever you need them.
Numbing is done in two steps: a topical anesthetic is applied first so the area is already numb before the injection, and the local anesthetic is given slowly and gently to limit the pinch. The team allows extra time for it to work and checks in often. If you feel anything, you say so and more is given; the American Dental Association's advice is the same, to tell your dentist if you feel pain even with a local anesthetic.
Appointments can be paced to suit you: shorter, focused visits if that helps you stay calm, or a longer block so nothing feels rushed. You can bring headphones, a friend or family member, or ask for a pressure-free visit to sit in the chair and meet the dentists before any treatment is scheduled. Digital X-rays and intraoral images let the team show you what they see instead of asking you to take it on trust.
Things you can do yourself
The ADA's consumer guidance for anxious patients is short and practical. Most of it costs nothing and works alongside what the office does:
- Tell the receptionist you are nervous when you book, and tell the dentist again when you sit down. The visit is adjusted from the start.
- Ask questions. Not knowing what comes next is often the worst part.
- Bring headphones and your own music or an audiobook if the sound of the drill bothers you.
- Keep your hands busy with a stress ball or a small object.
- Count your breaths: inhale slowly, then exhale for the same number of counts. A body scan, relaxing one muscle group at a time, helps some people more.
- Start small. A cleaning or a short exam that ends uneventfully rebuilds the sense that a visit can be ordinary. The post on how to overcome dental anxiety has more on building up gradually.
| Option | What it does | Offered here | Good to know |
|---|---|---|---|
| Explain first, stop signal, breaks | Keeps you in control of the pace | Yes | Agree on the signal before the work starts |
| Topical numbing, then slow local anesthetic | Blocks pain in one area; you stay awake | Yes | Say so if you feel anything; more can be given |
| Shorter or longer visits, headphones, a companion | Lowers the stress of the setting | Yes | Ask for a meet-the-office visit with no treatment |
| Laser dentistry for some procedures | Less drill noise and vibration on suitable treatments | Yes, where it applies | See laser dentistry for which procedures |
| Nitrous oxide or sedative pill (minimal to moderate) | You are relaxed but awake and responsive | No | Ask for a referral; the provider reviews your health first |
| IV sedation, deep sedation or general anesthesia | You are deeply sedated or fully unconscious | No | Ask for a referral to a dentist with the Dental Board permit |
Sedation, described plainly
Sedation is different from numbing. Local anesthesia removes sensation in one part of the mouth while you stay fully awake and aware. Sedation changes your level of consciousness, and the ADA defines it as a range. Minimal sedation (once called anxiolysis) leaves you able to breathe on your own and respond normally to touch and voice; you are relaxed, not asleep. Moderate sedation is a deeper drug-induced calm in which you still respond purposefully to spoken commands. Deep sedation means you cannot be easily roused and may need help keeping your airway open. General anesthesia is a drug-induced loss of consciousness in which you are not arousable, even by pain.
The drugs reach you in one of three ways: a gas you breathe through a mask (nitrous oxide mixed with oxygen is the usual one), a pill you swallow, or medicine given through a vein. Which level and route fits depends on the procedure, your overall health, your allergies and your anxiety, which is why it is a decision made with the dentist who will provide it, after a medical history and medication review. The post on types of dental anesthesia walks through the options in more detail.
In California, a dentist who provides moderate sedation or general anesthesia holds a permit from the Dental Board of California with set training requirements for each level. If you are referred for sedation, you can look up that dentist on the state's license search the same way you would any other.
When to ask for a referral instead
Some situations are a better fit for a dentist who offers sedation, and the dentists here will say so rather than stretch to keep the appointment. If you have tried a stop signal, careful numbing and short visits and still cannot sit through treatment, that is one. A long or complex procedure that would mean hours in the chair is another; the ADA notes that more complex treatments may call for deeper sedation to manage both pain and anxiety.
A child who cannot cooperate safely, a strong gag reflex that makes work impossible, or a medical condition that makes a long awake procedure unwise are also reasons to ask. The practice's family dentistry pillar says the same about children with significant anxiety or special healthcare needs: a pediatric dentist may genuinely serve them better.
Asking for a referral is not a failure. It is the point of a general dentist: to be honest about what the office can do well and to send you somewhere else when that is the right answer. The guide to getting a second opinion covers how to take your records with you.
Where lasers fit
For certain procedures the office uses dental lasers in place of, or alongside, conventional instruments. On gum tissue, a laser can treat and reshape with less bleeding, and on some cavity work it can reduce the need for the drill. The laser dentistry page describes which treatments this applies to and notes that in many cases less anesthetic is needed.
A laser is a tool for specific jobs, not a substitute for sedation and not suited to every procedure. If avoiding the sound and vibration of the drill is the heart of your fear, it is worth asking whether your particular treatment can be done that way. When you are ready to talk it through, book a visit or call (818) 541-1110 and say that anxiety is the reason you are calling. If you have facial swelling with a fever, trouble breathing or swallowing, or bleeding that will not stop, go to an emergency room or call 911 first.