Five Reasons to Choose IV Sedation

One of the most exciting new things we provide at Designer Smiles is intravenous (IV) sedation.  Dr. Ann completed a rigorous certification process in order to add this valuable service to our dental practice.  She underwent many hours of education, studying, testing, and training to earn this qualification.

Why did she go through such a difficult process?  Because we believe that IV sedation is a service that will allow more people to obtain the dental care they need.  Here are the specific reasons people choose IV sedation.

1. Anxiety over dental procedures

The most common reason people choose IV sedation is due to their anxiety over dental procedures.  They are fine for dental evaluations and professional teeth cleanings, but the idea of having any more invasive work performed causes anxiety.  This anxiety can lead some people to desire not to experience the sensations associated with local anesthetic injections, any drilling involved in the dental work, the smells and tastes of dental materials, etc….

When you choose IV sedation, you are asleep before you experience any of those sights, feelings, smells, tastes and sounds.  The medication in IV sedation also produces an amnesia-like effect so that you don’t remember what happens after it takes effect.

Because patients with anxiety can be fidgety or ask for frequent breaks in treatment, IV sedation actually makes the process easier for the dentist as well.

2. Complicated surgical treatment

Some patients require complicated surgical treatment.  In these cases, Dr. Ann and Dr. Lauren will often recommend IV sedation.  This helps them by keeping the patient still and cooperative throughout the procedure, allowing them to perform their highest quality work.

These are also cases in which we anticipate the treatment to be uncomfortable, even when there is no pain.  When you are awake, we use local anesthetic to remove any painful sensations.  However, you will still feel any pressure, stretching, or vibration forces that are a necessary part of the specific procedure.  If we expect the treatment to be uncomfortable, we will recommend IV sedation so that you have the best experience possible.

3. Extreme dental phobia

We know that fear keeps many people away from the dentist.  Some people are so afraid that they cannot even bring themselves to walk into a dental office.  Now obviously, we understand that you have to walk into our office in order to have IV sedation.  We just want to guarantee an option that will eliminate any and all sensations of the dental visit in order to give these patients with severe dental phobia an opportunity to get the care they need.

By providing IV sedation as an option, we hope that it may give someone the chance to follow-through with important dental treatment, prevent dangerous infections, and slowly establish a healthy dental routine.

4. Multiple dental procedures leading to a long appointment

So maybe the dental work you need is not complicated surgery, and you are not necessarily anxious about it.  There is just a lot of it, and it’s going to be a long, exhausting appointment.  IV sedation is a great way to have all of your dental work completed in one visit.  This allows you to get it over with quickly, while taking only one day off work.

Sometimes, a long dental treatment plan can be intimidating.  Sitting still for long periods of time with your mouth open can be tiring.  If you are the type of person who needs it all done as quickly as possible, but you don’t really want to “be there” for that long appointment, IV sedation is the right option for you.

5. Simple desire to “sleep” through their dental treatment

In more rare cases, we have patients who are not afraid of dental treatment, but they really like the idea of sleeping through their dental treatment. As long as there are no medical conditions that contraindicate being sedated, then this is an option for anyone.  Making this available for all of our patients gives them more freedom to choose how they experience their dental treatment at Designer Smiles.

Many dental offices offer oral sedation, which uses a pill to induce sleepiness.  This is actually less predictable and a little less safe than IV sedation.  Oral sedation is not able to address the fact that different people metabolize drugs differently, leading to different results.  IV sedation does.

Interested in IV Sedation?

Call Designer Smiles today to schedule a consultation with Dr. Ann and Dr. Lauren.  First they will assess your dental needs and discuss with you the options to address any concerns you have.