Our Approach
Suppose you are feeling a bit uneasy about the dental treatment you need, no worries! We want to ensure your treatment experience is as comfortable as possible. We can discuss all available sedation and pain control options with you to determine the best course based on individual health and medical history.
Sedation therapy can also assist you with pain to sensitive teeth, gag reflex, patients who suffer with anxiety in the face of dental work and if you do not respond well to numbing.
request an appointmentIV Sedation
IV sedation dentistry are when drugs such as anti-anxiety medications are delivered into the blood stream intravenously during a dental procedure. This procedure is intended for those who feel anxious or fearful about their visit or who are undergoing certain surgeries or extensive dental reconstruction. This method of sedation is often known ‘sleep’ anesthesia. Although patients often choose IV sedation because they think “I’d like to sleep through my dental appointment,” in fact patients remain awake the whole time. Our specialists work with certified anesthesiologists who administer relaxant drugs intravenously to the patient, using specific protocols.
Explore IV Sedation in Depth
Our specialists work with certified anesthesiologists who administer relaxant drugs intravenously to the patient, using specific protocols.
IV sedation enables a higher level of sedation than can be reached with oral sedation. This sedation method tends to be the method of choice for patients who do not want to be aware of the dental work being done and by those who are having complex dental work or oral surgery, especially those who prefer to complete long treatments in just one visit.
There are several different medications that may be delivered by the IV sedation dentist. Most are anti-anxiety drugs known as benzodiazepines or ‘benzos.’
Because there are differences in how people react to the drug and how much must be given for proper sedation, your response to the IV sedation will be monitored. Throughout the dental procedure, your oxygen levels and pulse will be monitored.
During IV sedation, you remain conscious and able to respond to verbal requests from the dentist, although your brain may feel foggy and the procedure may feel as though it is happening far away from you. You may not remember much about the procedure after it is over because of the drugs used for anesthesia. After undergoing a dental procedure with intravenous sedation, you will need someone to drive you home, because the drugs will take some time to wear off fully.
Both effective and highly reliable, IV sedation dentistry is extremely safe when the process is supervised by a specially-trained anesthesia dentist. IV sedation is a very popular option when undergoing dental treatments ranging from a routine cleaning to more extensive dental work.
Oral Sedation
Oral sedation can ease your discomfort and offers the flexibility of sedation levels ranging from minimal to deep sedation, depending on the patient’s anxiety level.
With a small dose of oral sedation, the patient is less anxious about the procedure, but can still respond both verbally and physically. This is known as conscious sedation.
There are several drugs used for oral sedation dentistry. Our specialist will determine which medication is appropriate for you.
During the procedure itself, you should feel relaxed and free from fear. Depending on the sedation level, you may be aware of what is going on, although it will not frighten you. With some of the medications used, you will remember little of the procedure after it is complete. Because the medication can take several hours to wear off after the procedure, you will need someone to drive you home.