IV Sedation: Experience a State of Deep Relaxation

IV Sedation Shreveport

Maintaining a healthy smile requires diligent at-home care and regular cleanings with your dentist. Sounds easy enough, but what about those of us who suffer from dental phobia? If fear and anxiety are keeping you from pursuing the care you need, you do have options.

For our patients who shiver at the sound of a dental drill, we offer various sedation services. Intravenous (IV) sedation is available to our Shreveport and Bossier City patients and can be used to promote deep relaxation during a variety of dental procedures. Schedule a consultation at Shreveport Bossier Family Dental Care today to determine if IV sedation is right for you.

What is IV Sedation?

IV sedation has enabled many patients to receive the quality dental care they need. By delivering sedation medication directly into a vein in the hand or arm, IV sedation allows patients to quickly and painlessly enter a state of deep relaxation and comfort. Unlike general anesthesia, IV sedation does not put patients to sleep. However, it has amnesiac qualities that ensure patients will remember little of their visit. Because the effects of IV sedation wear off over several hours, patients will need assistance leaving our office.

IV sedation offers a number of benefits. It is easy to administer and is extremely fast-acting. Your level of sedation can also be easily monitored throughout treatment and adjusted as necessary. Oral conscious sedation, an alternative method that relies on pills to help the patient achieve relaxation, cannot be regulated as accurately as IV sedation. On-site Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) technicians provide oversight and assistance at our practice, honoring our strict adherence to safety standards.

Am I a Good Candidate?

A thorough examination by one of our CRNAs can determine which type of sedation is best for you. If you are in good general health and are over the age of 18, you are most likely a good candidate for IV sedation.

We often recommend this type of sedation for:

• Single or multiple extractions
• Patients with a sensitive gag reflex
• Dental phobics or patients who are especially anxious
• Patients with painful medical conditions, like back or neck problems or arthritis
• Complex or lengthy procedures, such as full mouth reconstruction or dental implant surgery

IV sedation may be recommended for patients with conditions that make them unfit candidates for other sedation methods, like high blood pressure. For select patients, a release form from your primary care physician may be requested.

Experience You Can Trust

The doctors at Shreveport Bossier Family Dental Care have years of experience using sedation techniques to complement a range of dental procedures and surgeries. Your safety is paramount to us, so we have CRNAs administer IV sedation on-site. We work closely with the Dental Anesthesia Services of Louisiana to seek out highly-trained CRNAs, like Jason Jarrett. This cooperative relationship also allows our dentists to dedicate more time and energy to dental treatment.

Learn More

You’re not alone: dental phobia and severe anxiety afflict many of our patients. To learn more about how sedation dentistry can help you achieve an attractive smile and excellent oral health, schedule a consultation with Shreveport Bossier Family Dental Care today. We look forward to meeting with you!