IV Dental Sedation & Dental Implants–Man from Elmhurst

I.V. sedation is the most advanced sedative technique for the comprehensive control of pain and anxiety in dentistry. In this technique, drugs that produce the sedative effect are placed into an I.V. line, which is placed into a vein. Less than 2% of general dentist in Illinois have the special training, permit, and licensing issued by the Board of Dental Examiners to perform this advanced sedative technique.
Intraveneous IV sedation produces a profound state of relaxation. Dr. Gibbs is not only able to carefully control the amount of sedation required, but adjust the level quickly to make certain the patient is always comfortable. In most cases, amnesia is profound–patients typically will not remember the procedures performed. The intravenous sedation method is superior pain control.
With the technique that Dr. Gibbs uses most frequently, an oral pill is first used to relax the patient prior to giving the IV medication. This way the patient is completely relaxed before the IV is started. This is particularly good when the patient is needle phobic, as there often little memory of the IV being started.
Most states (Illinois included) do not allow dentists without to titrate, or adjust, the amount of medication orally to ascertain patient comfort. Because so few dentists are licensed to perform this level of sedation and comfort, we do have to limit the number of procedures we are able to perform each week. It is a common occurrence to have patients drive over 100 miles for IV sedation procedures. For truly apprehensive patients, we would encourage you to verify the level of comfort that your dentist “promises” to deliver!

P.S.–Why is this post in a website usually devoted to dental implants? Because the very high fear group typically does have greater restorative needs. It also allows Dr. Gibbs to do surgical procedures comfortably, and be far more experienced in complex dental restorations! (Be especially wary of those who offer sedation pill dentistry without the IV “‘what-if” mode).