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IV (Intravenous) Sedation

IV (Intravenous) Sedation Dentistry 


IV sedation is simply the best type of sedation dentistry available. With this method, the medications are administered directly into your bloodstream. This technique allows Dr. Dietze to slowly give you just the right amount of medication needed for your sedation. Not too little and not too much.  With pill sedation, patients are often misled to thinking it is easier and safer: this is not the truth!  Because of difference in stomach absorption, size, weight, age, sex and other medications, dosing oral ( pill) sedation can at best  be a guess. The nation's leading Dental Anesthesiologists all agree that oral sedation is, at best, about 50% effective, with the other 50% being over or under sedated.  Being over sedated or awaking part way through your treatment and having to wait an hour for another pill to take effect are not risks I want for my patients. With IV sedation, doses are custom tailored to your needs at that very moment, not some "average dose of pills".


What does it feel like? Will I be asleep?

It may, indeed, feel like you were "asleep" during the procedure because of two factors: firstly, in most people, IV sedation induces a state of deep relaxation and you are not bothered by what's going on. Secondly, the drugs used for IV sedation will produce memory loss (amnesia) for the period of time when the drug first kicks in until it wears off (usually during the ride home).  As a result, time will appear to pass very quickly and you will recall little (usually none) of your procedure.   Although most patients fall asleep during their treatment, if needed, you will  be able to understand and respond to requests from Dr. Dietze.


Is it still necessary to be numbed with local anaesthetic? Will Dr. Dietze numb my gums before or after I'm sedated?

The drugs which are usually used for IV sedation are not painkillers (although some pain-killing drugs are occasionally added) but anti-anxiety drugs. While they relax you and make you forget what happens, you will still need to be numbed.

If you have a fear of injections, rest assured you will not be numbed until you have been fully sedated.  Of course we will always wait until you're completely numb before starting on any procedure. 


How is IV sedation administered?

"Intravenous" means that the drug is put into a vein. An extremely thin plastic tube is put into a vein close to the surface of the skin in either the arm or the back of your hand.  The tube will remain there throughout the entire procedure.   The drugs are put in through that tube into your bloodstream.  This  allows the drugs that we use to take effect very quickly so that we give you the amount that is just right for you. 

Even if you are a "needle phobic", don't worry!  Dr. Dietze is very compassionate and understanding.  Starting the IV will be quick and painless.  We have a topical numbing cream available upon request.  Just ask!

Throughout the procedure, your pulse and oxygen levels are measured using a "pulse oximeter". This monitor clips onto a finger and measures pulse and oxygen levels.   Your blood pressure is taken automatically every 5 minutes from the time you sit in the chair until the time you walk out the door.  Dr. Dietze and his team will be monitoring you through your entire procedure.

IV sedation is EXTREMELY safe when administered by a specially-trained dentist like Dr. Dietze.  Statistically, it's even safer than local anaesthetic on its own!

What are the main advantages of IV sedation?

* The drugs enter your system and take effect very quickly, and drug dosage and level of sedation are precisely adjusted to meet your individual needs. This is a huge advantage compared to oral sedation, where the effects can be very unreliable. IV sedation, on the other hand, is both highly effective and highly reliable.

* IV sedation is the method of choice if you don't want to be aware of the procedure - you "don't want to know".

* The maximum level of sedation which is reached with IV is deeper than with oral or inhalation sedation.

* The gag reflex is hugely diminished - people receiving IV sedation rarely experience difficulty with gagging.

* IV sedation is ideal for those with a phobia of dental injections, noises, and smells .


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