IV Sedation

Over the last few decades, IV sedatives have been improved remarkably. Occasionally people report nausea or vomiting from experiences in the operating room or recovery room. In the Oral Surgery Office setting, the medications we use in the IV rarely ever cause these symptoms. In fact, we give some medications to those with a history of unsettled stomach to prevent this. When it does occur, it is generally short-lived. Again, in our office, we rarely ever have those symptoms arise. With IV and nitrous sedation, it especially important to know what to do the night before and the morning of regarding diet and other instructions. At the end of this anesthesia section, please read those instructions.

Our patients report a very pleasant experience with IV sedation. It can be planned as light, moderate or deep. When people say, “I just want to be knocked out” that would imply general anesthesia. General anesthesia though is when the patient is not breathing spontaneously and has a breathing tube temporarily as in when having your appendix removed. That is not our technique in out-patient treatments. Deep sedation generally results in little or no memory of the procedure. Moderate sedation may also result in this, although some parts of the procedure may be remembered but the patient is very comfortable. Light sedation can be very desirable as the patient is very relaxed but can freely communicate. These three states are custom to every patient in our practice.