| IV Sedation Dentistry? |
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| IV is a method of providing safe, effective pain and anxiety control. The dose and depth can easily be individualized to meet each patient’s specific needs. |
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| What are the benefits of IV Sedation Dentistry to the patient? |
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| Effective anxiety and pain relief, and little or no recall of any unpleasant procedures. |
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| What is the difference between conscious sedation and IV sedation? |
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| Conscious sedation is a level of sedation, while IV sedation is the route by which conscious sedation is achieved. IV sedation simply means that the patient is given medications to control anxiety through an IV line, directly into the venous circulation. |
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| Which patients benefit the most from IV Sedation? |
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| Patients with high-anxiety, dental fear, fear of needles and sharp dental tools, difficulty becoming numb, and patients who are prone to gagging. |
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| What about drug interactions? |
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| The participants are trained to perform a thorough pre-operative evaluation including a review of medication history. The medications are evaluated for any possible negative drug interactions. |
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| What post-operative effects can my patients expect? |
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| Each patient may respond differently to IV sedation. Therefore, each patient’s recovery time is different. Patients are instructed not to operate heavy machinery or vehicles or perform any activity requiring mental alertness for at least 24 hours. Nausea is also possible, but medications are available to control this. |
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| What are some of the common side effects of these IV sedation medications? |
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| See above |
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| What time adjustments need to be made to the appointment? |
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| Generally extra time is allotted to initiate the IV, monitor the patient, recover in-office, and determine if the patient is ready to be discharged. |
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| How safe is IV sedation? |
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| IV sedation has been proven to be very safe and effective. Patients will release less of the endogenous substances that raise blood pressure and increase the oxygen consumption of the heart. Patient selection is of utmost importance to minimize any adverse outcomes. It should only be practiced by trained, experienced individuals |
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| Is it hard to work on IV sedated patients? |
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| Certain safeguards must be followed to protect the patient’s airway. In many ways, it is actually easier to work on a sedated patient. The relaxed state of the patient usually allows for a wider opening of the mouth, less movement of the patient in general, and more cooperation. |
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| Will my malpractice insurance premiums rise? |
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| Possibly, contact your carrier for the specifics of your individual situation. There are carriers who will not raise your premiums for IV sedation. |
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| Will insurance pay for IV Sedation and the dentistry? |
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| Many dental insurance carriers will pay for sedation. Again, there is wide variability in this area. |
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| What equipment will I need? |
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| Monitoring, airway management, and emergency equipment are required. Also, specific medication and administration materials such as IV catheters, IV solutions and IV administration sets are required. Each participant in the IV sedation course will be given an equipment/supply list and sources for these supplies. |
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| What training should my team have? |
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| The team should be involved in the training process. While only a certified, trained individual should actually administer the sedation, the team should be able to support the administrator, with supplies, sterile procedures, and patient management techniques. Many states require that one or more trained individuals are present in the operatory during IV sedation. |
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| If I have an I.V. permit, can I say “sleep dentistry” in my advertising? |
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| NO. A general anesthesia permit is required before you can say “sleep dentistry” in your advertising. An I.V. permit only authorizes you to administer conscious sedation or moderate sedation, depending in which state you practice. In those states, it would be proper to say “sedation dentistry” instead. |
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John P. Bitting, Esq. completed his undergraduate work at the University of California in History and earned his JD at the University of San Francisco School of Law. Originally from Pacific Palisades, California, he lives and practices law in Seattle, Washington. His legal practice is focused in the area of dental regulations with special emphasis on sedation. John travels to and works closely with the regulatory authorities of each state and province in North America to promote the making of sensible regulations for safe and effective sedation dentistry based upon science and the standard of care.
In his spare time, John enjoys watching baseball, playing softball and football, and hunting with his redbone coonhound, Hawkeye.
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