IV Sedation Services

At Blue Sky Anesthesia Associates, we provide IV sedation using an individually tailored combination of medications that are selected based on your individual needs. If you are anxious and unable to have the IV placed without some form of sedation, we may have you breath oxygen mixed with a relaxing gas called nitrous oxide.

Once you are relaxed and your IV is placed, you will be given medication through the IV that will place you in a restful dream-like state of sleep.  During your procedure we give you medication through the IV to help decrease pain, inflammation, and nausea for approximately four or more hours after you leave the office. Upon waking from your relaxed dream-like state you will have no recollection of your dental procedure and minimal to no discomfort.

Within 30 to 60 minutes after waking you will be safe to go home with another adult and you will be provided with written discharge instructions from your nurse anesthesiologist. For the rest of the day you should rest and drink lots of fluid. You should not operate any machinery, use any sharp objects, sign any legal papers, or make important decisions that require the full use of your faculties as the medication may impair your judgment for up to 24 hours. You can expect a follow-up phone call later that day from the nurse anesthesiologist that provided your sedation to answer any questions, make sure the sedation was to your satisfaction, and that you are recovering well.

At Blue Sky Anesthesia Associates, we understand we are not only providing sedation for your most precious gift, your child, but are providing care for you as well. We understand that the decision to sedate your child for a dental procedure is not without fear, stress, and anxiety, and that is why we encourage you to call us any time with any questions or concerns you may have before your appointment. We provide sedation using an individually tailored combination of medications that are selected based on your child’s individual needs.

Most children are given an injection of medications based on their weight to start their sedation. This combination of medications prevents your child from recalling the dental procedure and most of the time the injection as well. We encourage the parents to be present during this part of the sedation, and to hug your child keeping them calm and feeling safe. Within 3-5 minutes your child will become drowsy, then they will be comfortably placed in the dental chair and all of the very same monitors used in the hospital will be applied, monitoring every breath and heartbeat throughout the entire procedure.

An alternative for those children that are fearful of having an injection but are cooperative enough to breath through a mask is to start their sedation without the injection by instead breathing oxygen mixed with a relaxing gas called nitrous oxide.

After either initial method, an application of numbing medicine is applied to the skin and an IV is started. From that point on, all of the medications that maintain your child in a dream-like sleep state are given through the IV. We also give your child IV medications during the dental procedure that help to decrease pain, inflammation, and nausea for approximately four or more hours after they leave the office.

At the end of the dental procedure all sedating medication will be stopped, and as soon as the nurse anesthesiologist feels it is safe to remove the monitors, your child will be brought directly to you. Your child will be drowsy and still slightly sedated when you first see them after the procedure. Within 30 to 60 minutes, your child will be safe to go home, but still may be drowsy for up to 3-4 hours.

Before you go home you will be provided with written discharge instructions from your nurse anesthesiologist. For the rest of the day you should encourage your child to rest and drink lots of fluids as the medications they were given are broken down in the liver and excreted in the urine. You can expect a follow-up phone call later that day from the nurse anesthesiologist that provided your child’s sedation to answer any questions, make sure the sedation was to your satisfaction, and that your child is recovering well.