Sedation Dentistry FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions and short answers about Sedation Dentistry.

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Questions & Answers

1. What is Sedation Dentistry?

Sedation dentistry is the answer both patient and practitioner have been looking for to bring together what dentistry can provide with patients in need. Studies show that 30% of the population avoids the dentist due to fear. Sedation dentistry provides a safe and comfortable experience for them to get the care they need and want. The protocols can be customized to the patient's anxiety level and medical history allowing them an incredibly comfortable, relaxing and safe experience. And with your patients totally comfortable, you can do the dentistry you love and be rewarded with gratitude that to date has been uncommon for dental patients to express.

2. What patients are appropriate for OCS?

• Patients with anxiety. They wiggle and squirm and say, “What is that for?” and “Are you going to hurt me?” With OCS these patients will become your easiest patients to treat because they are no longer afraid, but are relaxed and comfortable. Patients seldom remember much about the procedure. Their anxiety often falls to a very low level and they become much like your most relaxed patient.
• Existing patients who have put off needed treatment, or who abandoned treatment plans.
• Patients who suffer from acute or chronic jaw soreness. Patients can comfortably be treated for several hours. The sedation medication has a muscle relaxation property. Patients can have extensive treatment completed in one visit comfortably and they experience little to no jaw soreness after treatment.
• Patients who have a gag reflex.
• Patients who complain that they can't get numb.
• Patients with physical limitations such as back or neck problems. These patients can comfortably sit in the chair for lengthy procedures and experience little or no post-operative back or neck soreness.

3. How does OCS get existing patients to accept the treatment they've long put off?

A huge percentage of patients who come in for regular cleanings put off routine work, often for years and years. The reason is that many patients are secretly anxious. Although they will go for a hygiene appointment, they stop when it comes to more extensive treatment because they are secretly afraid. However, once these existing patients are made aware that a dentist offers sedation, they want to have the treatment they've been postponing.

4. What post-operative effects can my patients expect?

Our protocols require the patient be dismissed to a responsible caregiver who will drive them home. Once home, the patient will stay with their companion until all of the effects of the sedation have worn off.

5. What are some of the common side effects of these sedation medications?

• Retrograde amnesia. The patients have little or no recollection of the treatment. It is not uncommon for patients who are amazed that they don't remember the appointment. The front desk then says, “Have you looked in the mirror yet?” The patient excitedly realizes that they have a new smile and they have no memory of the treatment being performed at all! They are so happy because memories of dentistry are not something they savor.
• Less post-operative soreness. Patients will no longer routinely require postoperative pain medications. They often recover sooner, and are less sore than they would have been without sedation.
• Dry mouth
• Hiccups: A small percentage of patients (3%) will experience a period of hiccups lasting no longer than ten minutes. They are self-limiting.

5. How safe is OCS?

There has never been a documented report of a serious adverse incident (mortality or serious morbidity) due to the use of oral sedation in adults. DOCS members alone have completed an estimated 1,000,000 successful sedation procedures over the past six years. One reason for our outstanding record is that we monitor patients' vital signs using a pulse oximeter/blood pressure monitor. This monitor is easy to use yet sophisticated enough to measure blood pressure every five minutes and continuously measure pulse rate and blood oxygen before, during and after a sedation procedure.

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