The Sedation Dental Care Standard
Physicians in the U.S. have been treating patients using sedation for over 50 years. It is nothing new for patients to be sedated for operations on knees, feet, wrists, ears, noses, or practically anything else. A lady told me one day, "I had to go in for an MRI (a type of x-ray). I was very nervous so my doctor sedated me." Often patients ask dentists for sedation and the dentist either does not offer it or does not feel they need it. Sometimes these patients avoid continuing their care because of fear or embarrassment.
There are extensive safety guidelines and requirements that do not allow every dentist to provide sedation. Our doctors have fulfilled all of these sedation requirements and have also participated in additional training. With our required and additional sedation and emergency training we will make your personalized sedation safe and comfortable. You wouldn't think of having an ear operation or a nose operation without sedation; however, it is acceptable to endure time-consuming, strenuous, noisy, and uncomfortable procedures on the most sensitive, personal part of the body (the mouth) with no sedation. Many patients that are hard to numb, have high gag reflex or very sensitive teeth, attempt to get dental work done without sedation. As a result, some patients have had very unpleasant appointments and avoid further treatment. I have found that fearful patients psychologically have no problem being sedated for dental treatment. You ask a nervous patient,” Would you rather have this work done in six appointments over the next two months or one while you are sedated?", and they look at you like you're crazy. "Sedated!," is their reply.
Sedation for certain types of dental care has been used for over thirty years. If you asked patients who have had their wisdom teeth removed how they had it done, most would say they were sedated by an oral surgeon to have them removed. The problem is that people assume that root canals and drilling on teeth is not uncomfortable enough to warrant sedation. This is why 50% of the population does not go to the dentist. The patient is the one who should determine what is uncomfortable for them, not the dentist.
If you feel that sedation is necessary or just preferred for your dental care, call us.
Type of Sedation
The sedation we utilize the most is oral sedation (pills). We use pills for several reasons:
1. Many of our patients are needle-phobic so they would not like to be told that we must use a needle to sedate them.
2. With oral sedation we can work on patients for long periods of time.
3. Oral sedation is very safe.
4. The pills stay in a patients system for several hours after the appointment, so we get few complaints of pain after procedures are completed.
We also provide IV sedation and General Anesthesia.
How You Will Feel
As you can read in our Patient Testimonials, our patients' perception of this conscious sedation technique are, they feel that they have slept through the appointment. We most commonly hear, "I remember taking some pills and the next thing I remember is waking up with my teeth fixed." Most patients remember nothing about their treatment. A few will remember a little, usually at the end of the appointment when we are getting them ready to go home or making bite adjustments.. You will need someone to bring you to our office on the day of your sedation appointment and you MUST have someone take you home afterwards.
Sedation Training
Dr. Dan Davidian has training in Advanced Life Support Skills and is IV sedation certified. Dr. Davidian is currently a member and received training in sedation from the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology, and the University of Georgia. He has taken Advanced Airway Management with the Dental Anesthesia program at Ohio State and expanded his sedation knowledge from Baylor University. He has worked in and trained at numerous prestigious hospitals and dental facilities including: Ohio State, University of North Carolina, Carolinas Medical Center, Kino Community Hospital, and Fayetteville VA.
Dr. Tracy Davidian attended Montefiore Medical Center in New York, where she received certification in patient management with Oral, IV, and Nitrous Sedation techniques. She is currently a member and received additional training from the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology.
Safety
Safety is our priority. We continue to advance our knowledge and skills in sedation techniques and procedures. Every sedated patient is continuously monitored to assure there blood pressure and oxygen remain at a safe and comfortable level.