Just imagine having all your dental work without any discomfort or pain, that’s what IV sedation does. A pain free dental appointment!
When it comes to dental experience, we are all unique. There are emotional anxiety and physical discomfort. It is difficult to almost impossible to control your emotions. It can start with nervousness when you walk into the office to extreme fear when you sit in the dental chair. These emotions can stem from many places, from an earlier experience, to influence of others.
Dental Fear Central describes IV sedation, “you remain conscious during conscious IV sedation. You will also be able to understand and respond to requests from your dentist.”
However, you may not remember much (or anything at all) about what went on because of two things:
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- IV sedation induces a state of deep relaxation and a feeling of not being bothered by what’s going on
- the drugs used for IV sedation cause 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 of what happened. Many people remember nothing at all. So it may, indeed, appear as if you were asleep during the procedure.
Put Safety First!
As with any type of medical procedure, safety is paramount. Which is why a separate qualified personnel should administer the medication for IV sedation, as well as monitor the patient’s vital signs. While the dentist can give their full attention to the dental procedure.
As a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, Dwayne Thibeault has a Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) and over 20 years experience. Feel free to call anytime with questions about your sedation. It is our goal to create a personalized and individual sedation plan. Dwayne Thibeault is an active member of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), the Florida Association of Nurse Anesthetists (FANA) and the New Hampshire Association of Nurse Anesthetists (NHANA).
