IV Sedation and Dental Work

The early days of dental work required a great deal of patience and pain tolerance if anything inside the mouth was amiss. Thankfully, modern dental practices have replaced the early form of dental work, saving the patients from pain with anesthesia. While the standard shot of Novocain seems to work fine for routine dental work, the use of IV (or Intravenous) sedation can be a better option for many patients and procedures.

When considering IV sedation for your dental work, do some homework to find out if your office of choice, like Eldorado Dental, is equipped and certified to administer and monitor IV sedation. While you are doing your research, here are a few things to know about IV sedation and dental work:

The shot goes in your vein, not your mouth. Unlike traditional dental anesthesia, intravenous sedation is given through a vein in the arm or hand. This allows the medication to quickly move through the body and speed the sedation process.

You might be awake but you won’t feel a thing. Depending on the type of IV anesthesia used, you may be awake for your procedure. If you are awake, you will be completely relaxed and pain free. This is a useful option for many lengthy procedures especially for patients who have trouble sitting in a dentist’s chair for an extended time.

It’s a great alternative for high fear patients. If dental work fills you with anxiety, consider IV sedation if you are having a considerable amount of work done. The anxiety will leave, you will be relaxed and the work will be completed unhindered.

It helps the dentist work. Since sedation works to completely relax the patient, it’s ideal when extensive work needs to be done. A relaxed patient is easier to work on which makes the procedure more efficient and easier to complete.

Whatever the reason for IV dental sedation, make sure you are informed and prepared before going in for any dental procedures. Follow the instructions given by your dentist and make sure to show up for any-and-all follow up appointments. With a little prep on your end and a qualified dentist, your dental work will be done quickly and without pain while you get to relax.