Sedation Dentistry in Salina, KS
Gentle Care, No Judgment
If you're nervous about the dentist, you're in the right place. Maybe it's been a couple of years. Maybe it's been a couple of decades. Either way, there's no lecture waiting for you here — just a team that's genuinely glad you reached out.
Whenever you're ready, give us a call and let's talk. No exam required. No commitment. No Judgement.
If You've Been Avoiding the Dentist, You're Not Alone
For a lot of people, anxiety about the dentist turns into years of putting it off — and then the worry only grows, because you know the next visit will be a bigger one. We see it all the time, and we understand it completely.
We've cared for patients who chew on one side of their mouth so nothing hurts, and patients who cover their smile in every photo. One patient sat and talked with us holding her hand over her mouth the whole time — she'd been hiding her teeth so long it had become a habit. People thought she was grumpy. She was just embarrassed.
If any of that sounds familiar, hear this clearly: nothing about your mouth is going to shock us, and nothing about your history is going to disappoint us. Dental fear is one of the most common fears there is. You don't owe anyone an apology — least of all us. You just need a different kind of visit. That's what sedation is for.
Our Sedation Options
Sedation simply means you can be calm — genuinely, physically calm — while we take care of your teeth. It's also how many patients comfortably get through bigger treatment, all the way up to dental implants. Dr. Guy will talk through your comfort level, your health history, and the kind of visit ahead before recommending anything. It's a conversation, not a menu, and there's no wrong answer.
Nitrous Oxide (Laughing Gas)
The lightest option. You breathe a little nitrous oxide through a soft mask over your nose, and within a few minutes the edge comes right off. Dr. Guy describes it as a lot like having a couple of good glasses of wine — relaxed, easy, and pleasant. You stay awake and can talk with us the whole time, and because it wears off quickly, most patients are able to drive themselves to and from the appointment.
Oral Conscious Sedation
Our go-to for longer or more involved visits, and for patients whose nerves run deeper. You take a prescribed medication so that, by the time we begin, the anxiety has simply lifted. Most patients tell us it felt like they took a nap — many don't really remember the appointment afterward, even though they were relaxed enough to help us through it the whole time. Because the medication takes a while to wear off, you'll need someone to drive you and stay with you afterward.
When a Deeper Level Is the Right Call
For patients who need deeper sedation, or who have complex health histories, we can arrange for a trained anesthesia provider to join us — and Dr. Guy has hospital privileges for the rare cases where that's the safest setting. If that might be you, we'll talk it through honestly and help you choose the safest path. And if you'd rather skip sedation altogether, that's completely fine too: many of our patients do beautifully with just a gentle local anesthetic and a good topical. The point is to meet you where you are.
Your Safety Comes First
We take sedation seriously, because you're trusting us with more than your teeth. Before any sedation visit, we review your full health history and current medications and walk you through what to expect. A trained member of our team stays with you throughout — you're never left alone — and we keep a close watch the entire time. If anything about your health raises a question, we'd rather slow down and do it the safest way, including bringing in an anesthesia provider or, in rare high-risk cases, treating in a hospital setting.
What Your First Visit Looks Like
The scariest part of the dentist is usually not knowing what's coming. So here's the whole thing, start to finish.
You walk in — and that's the hard part done
You park, you walk in, and our front desk greets you — they already know you're nervous, because you told us on the phone, and that's the last time you'll have to explain it.
Just a conversation
You sit down with Dr. Guy sitting up, talking, nothing in your mouth yet. We start with where you want to end up: what's bothering you, what you'd like to be able to do again, what you're comfortable with today. If today is just a conversation, then today is just a conversation.
A gentle look, in plain language
When you're ready, we take a gentle look and tell you what we see in plain language — no sighing, no running commentary, no lecture. Then we build a plan together, at your pace — often starting with restorative dentistry to repair what's been waiting — with the costs explained clearly before anything happens.
The hardest visit is behind you
And then you check out, and the hardest visit is behind you. Most patients tell us the same thing on the way out: it was nothing like they expected.
Why This Matters to Us
Dr. Guy Gross has spent more than twenty years helping people get their smiles — and their lives — back, and our doctors have over 70 years of combined experience between them. The visits that mean the most are often the fearful ones.
"The moment I know I've done my job right is when a patient walks out smiling, with a whole new disposition," Dr. Guy says — sometimes they message later about eating again, about their work, about getting back out into their life. That's the part we live for. When someone tells us it's been fifteen or twenty years, we don't see a problem. We see someone brave enough to walk back through the door, and we're honored they chose us. Meet Dr. Guy Gross.
Questions Patients Ask Us
Will I be unconscious during sedation?
No. Even our deeper option keeps you responsive and able to help us through the visit — you simply feel so relaxed that you stop worrying you're at the dentist. With nitrous oxide you're fully awake and chatting with us. With oral conscious sedation, most patients say it felt like a nap and don't remember much afterward, but they're not unconscious. "Sleep dentistry" really means deeply, comfortably relaxed — not put under.
Is sedation dentistry safe?
Sedation has a strong safety record when it's properly administered and monitored, and we'd be glad to walk you through exactly how we handle both before you ever book. We review your full health history and medications first, a trained team member stays with you the whole time, and for complex cases we can bring in an anesthesia provider. Your health guides every decision we make.
Can I drive myself home afterward?
It depends on the option. With nitrous oxide, it wears off quickly and most patients drive themselves to and from the appointment. With oral conscious sedation, the medication stays with you longer, so you'll need someone to drive you and help you settle in at home. We'll tell you exactly what to plan for ahead of time.
What if I haven't been to the dentist in years?
Then you're like a lot of the people we care for, and you're exactly who we're here for. There's no lecture and no shame — when someone tells us it's been a decade or two, we're just glad they came in. Your first visit can be as simple as a conversation, sitting up and talking, with nothing done until you're ready.
What does sedation feel like?
Nitrous oxide is light and pleasant — Dr. Guy compares it to a couple of good glasses of wine, taking the edge right off while you stay awake. Oral conscious sedation goes further; most patients describe it as feeling like they took a nap, calm and unbothered, with little memory of the visit afterward.
Will the dentist lecture me about the state of my teeth?
No. We don't sigh, we don't shame, and we don't pile more pressure on you. You already know things aren't where you'd like them, or you wouldn't be looking. We'll tell you honestly what we see and what your options are, in plain words, and then we'll build a plan together at your pace.
Will my insurance cover sedation?
Coverage for sedation varies from plan to plan, and sometimes it's an out-of-pocket cost. We're happy to review your specific benefits before your visit so you know what to expect — just ask when you call.
Have a question we didn't answer? Call us at 785-825-7197 — we're happy to help.
Ready When You Are
You don't have to book anything today. Just call 785-825-7197 and tell us you're nervous — we'll take it from there, at your pace. If picking up the phone feels like too much right now, you can reach us online instead — and when you're ready, our New Patients page walks you through exactly what to expect. Either way: talk to us, no judgment. We mean that.