For anxious or avoidant patients: two sedation options, you stay awake and in control, no judgment, and your price confirmed in writing. If you have been putting off the dentist because the chair makes you tense, you are not alone. Dr. Xhelo Shuaipaj has cared for anxious patients for 30+ years, using nitrous oxide (laughing gas) or oral conscious sedation (a pill to relax you) to keep your visit comfortable.
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Sedation dentistry uses medication to help you relax during dental treatment, so anxious or sensitive patients can get care calmly and comfortably. At Dentique, sedation dentistry comes in two forms: nitrous oxide (laughing gas) and oral conscious sedation (a pill to relax you). You do not need a severe phobia to benefit; a little nervousness is reason enough.
Medication to help you relax during dental treatment.
Nitrous oxide (laughing gas) and oral conscious sedation (a pill).
Relaxed and responsive, not asleep.
Sedation dentistry helps when fear or discomfort gets in the way of care, such as dental anxiety, a strong gag reflex, trouble getting numb, or a long or involved appointment. Wanting to feel calmer is reason enough. Here it is a routine comfort option, not a last resort and not a sign that anything is wrong with you.
Dental anxiety is very common. Dr. Xhelo Shuaipaj talks it through with you and helps you decide whether nitrous oxide or oral conscious sedation fits.
Dentique offers two sedation options: nitrous oxide, called laughing gas, and oral conscious sedation, a pill that helps you relax. In short, nitrous oxide tends to suit milder nerves and shorter visits, while oral conscious sedation tends to suit higher anxiety or longer appointments. With both, you stay awake and in control, and Dr. Xhelo Shuaipaj, who holds a DOCS sedation fellowship (FDOCS), chooses the option with you.
| Compare | Nitrous oxide (laughing gas) | Oral conscious sedation (a pill) |
|---|---|---|
| How you take it | Breathe through a small nose mask | A prescribed pill before your visit |
| How it feels | Calm within minutes | Deeply relaxed, still responsive |
| Best for | Milder nerves, shorter visits | Higher anxiety, longer appointments |
| Wearing off | Lifts quickly once the mask comes off | Lasts longer |
| Ride home | Many people carry on with their day | Arrange a ride home |
| Awake and in control | Yes | Yes |
With the sedation options at Dentique, you stay awake and responsive, relaxed and calm rather than unconscious, and still able to answer and let us know how you feel. You are relaxed, not asleep. Sedation settles the anxiety; it does not switch you off.
Relaxed, not asleep, and able to communicate throughout.
Local anesthetic numbs the area, so the procedure itself should not hurt.
Two jobs are handled separately: the sedation keeps you calm, and the numbing keeps you from feeling pain. With oral conscious sedation, many people remember little of a longer appointment afterward, though you stay responsive the whole time.
Sedation dentistry has a long track record of safe use when a trained dentist reviews your health history first and monitors you during treatment. It is well established in dentistry, and the safeguards are simple: screen first, watch closely throughout.
Your history and medications are reviewed before any sedation.
You are watched closely during treatment.
Dr. Shuaipaj holds FDOCS, a Fellowship with DOCS Education.
Some conditions, and pregnancy, can change what is recommended, so whether you are a candidate is decided together at a consultation rather than assumed.
The cost of sedation dentistry is usually added on top of the treatment itself, and depends on which sedation you choose and how long you need it. We do not publish a fixed sedation price, because your figure depends on your plan and your treatment, so we confirm your exact price in writing at your consultation.
A clearly-labelled national or typical sedation range is supplied by the client and shown here before publish. This is not a Dentique price.
We confirm your exact price in writing at your consultation, before you commit to anything.
Insurance: some PPO plans help toward sedation when it supports needed treatment, and we check yours before you decide. We work with most major PPO plans, including Delta Dental, MetLife, Cigna, Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Illinois, UnitedHealthcare, Guardian, and Humana. Financing: CareCredit, Cherry, and Sunbit.
Dentique Dental Care is one dentist with 30+ years and a sedation fellowship, known for judgment-free, no-pressure care. Nothing here is meant to make you feel small for having stayed away, and the aim is to make care comfortable. Sedation is offered as a routine comfort pathway, not an upsell, and patients volunteer that they were not pushed into work they did not need.
The same dentist plans your care.
A Fellowship with DOCS Education.
Rated 4.9 on Google.
Downers Grove and Lemont.
Many of those patients have been coming for 15, 20, and 25 years, across the Downers Grove and Lemont offices.
It depends on which sedation you choose and how long your visit runs, and it is usually added to the cost of the treatment. Nationally it commonly falls in a typical range, and we confirm your exact price in writing at the consultation.
Sometimes. Some PPO plans help toward sedation when it supports needed treatment, and it interacts with your annual maximum. It varies by plan, so we check yours and explain it before you decide.
Sedation is an added cost on top of the treatment, so a visit with sedation costs more than the same visit without it. How much more depends on the option and the length of the visit, and we explain the full cost up front.
People choose sedation for dental anxiety or fear, a strong gag reflex, difficulty getting numb, or a long or involved appointment. Wanting to feel calmer is reason enough.
No. With the sedation we offer you stay awake and responsive, relaxed rather than unconscious, and still able to communicate throughout.
Our options relax you while you stay awake and in control, so you are not put to sleep. Many people simply remember little of a longer visit afterward.
For many anxious or avoidant patients, it is what finally makes overdue care possible, calmly and without judgment. Whether it is right for you is decided together at a consultation.
Dr. Xhelo Shuaipaj, DDS, FDOCS, FICOI, reviewed this page and cares for patients at Dentique’s Downers Grove and Lemont offices. He is the practice’s only dentist, with 30+ years of experience across both locations. His credentials are DDS, FDOCS (Fellow, DOCS Education, a sedation-focused fellowship), and FICOI (Fellow, International Congress of Oral Implantologists). The sedation guidance on this page reflects standards from the American Dental Association and DOCS Education. Reviewed on [date added before publish].
A no-pressure consult is the next step, where we talk through what makes you anxious, explain your sedation options, and confirm your price in writing. One visit, no pressure to say yes to anything. Your first visit is judgment-free, and if we cannot pick up right away, leave a message and we will call you back.
Judgment-free, sedation options available, your price confirmed in writing, and a real callback if we cannot answer right away.
Get the smile you deserve today!