IV (Intravenous) Sedation

 

Dental Fear Central

 

When a drug, usually of the anti-anxiety variety, is administered into the blood system during dental treatment, this is referred to as Intravenous Conscious Sedation. Conscious sedation is sometimes (incorrectly) referred to as “twilight sleep” or “sleep dentistry”. These terms are more descriptive of a deep sedation. Deep sedation is not commonly used, and is more closely related to general anesthesia.

 

Common Questions:

 

Will I be asleep?

 Many suggest that IV sedation involves being put to sleep. In reality, you remain conscious during IV sedation. You will also be able to understand and respond to the requests from your dentist. However, you may not remember much about what went on because of two factors: firstly, in most people, IV sedation induces a state of deep relaxation and a feeling of not being bothered by what’s going on. Secondly, the drugs used for IV sedation can produce either partial or full memory loss (amnesia) for the period of time when the drug first kicks in until it wears off. As a result, time will appear to pass very quickly and you will not recall much, so it may appear as if you were asleep during the procedure.

 

Will my dentist need to numb me before the procedure?

 

IV sedation will relax you and make you forget what happens, but you will still need to be numbed. If you have a fear of injections, you will not be numbed until the IV sedation has fully kicked in. If you have a phobia of needles, you will probably be relaxed enough not to care by this stage.

 

How is IV sedation administered?

 

“Intravenous” means that the drug is put into a vein. An extremely thin needle is put into a vein close to the surface of the skin in either arm or the back of your hand. The needle makes the entry into the vein, and then is slid out leaving the soft plastic tube in place. The drugs are put in through that tube. The tube stays in place throughout the procedure.

 

Throughout the procedure, your pulse and oxygen levels are measured.

 

Is it safe?

 

IV sedation is EXTREMELY safe when carried out under the supervision of a specially trained dentist.

 

What are the main advantages of IV sedation?

 

• IV sedation tends to be the method of choice if you do not want to be aware of the procedure- you “don’t want to know”. The alternative is oral sedation, but oral sedation is not as reliably effective as IV sedation.
• The onset of action is very rapid, the drug dosage and level of sedation can be tailored to meet the individual’s needs. This is a huge advantage compared to oral sedation, where the effects can be very unreliable.
• The gag reflex is hugely diminished- people experiencing IV sedation rarely experience difficulty with gagging.
• Can be ideal for those with a phobia of dental injections.