Are You a Good Candidate for IV Sedation During a Dental Treatment?

Are You a Good Candidate for IV Sedation During a Dental Treatment?

Maintaining good oral health is critical to your overall wellbeing and your quality of life. However, fear of the dentist keeps many people from getting the care they need. Alternatively, attending multiple appointments for certain treatments may not be possible for busy people who struggle to find spare time. Fortunately, some dentists offer an option that can help: IV sedation. This deep sedation makes it possible for many people who otherwise wouldn’t get care to get the treatments they need comfortably. Could you be a good candidate for dental IV sedation? Here are some of the signs that sedation could work for you. 

You have been postponing dental care. 

Anxiousness about visiting the dentist is common. Some people have a fear so intense that they won’t consider having a dental check-up, which only increases the risk that they will need extensive treatment when they do go. Further, when extensive treatments are necessary, they frequently require multiple dental appointments, which is challenging even for people who are comfortable going to the dentist. IV sedation helps all of these patients. IV sedation is deep sedation, which means patients will not have any awareness of their procedures. It allows anxious people to relax and sleep through their care and allows dentists to combine multiple procedures in a single appointment, since patients will remain comfortable throughout. 

You don’t have underlying conditions that interfere with sedation. 

Sedation is safe for most people, but your dentist will ask several questions about your overall health before determining if you are a good candidate. IV sedation is not the same as general anesthesia that is used during surgery but typically does involve an anesthesiologist. 

You have someone to drive you home.

After IV sedation, you may feel groggy. You will need someone to drive you home after your appointment and stay with you to take care of you that day. 

John R. Carson, DDS, is pleased to offer different levels of sedation to help patients get the care they need in comfort. Find out more about sedation dentistry in Tucson by calling (520) 514-7203.