Sedation Dentistry

Dr. Cady and the team at Pocatello Periodontics use IV Sedation, or Conscious Sedation, to help people with anxiety, fear or medical issues have a positive, relaxing dental experience and receive the dental care they need. Conscious Sedation is defined as a minimally depressed level of consciousness that retains the patient's ability to independently and continuously maintain an airway and respond appropriately to physical stimulation and verbal command and that is produced by pharmacological or non-pharmacologic method or combination thereof. Most patients report that they feel relaxed and have no memory of the procedure.

In General Anesthesia, which is only done at the surgery center, a patient is completely unconscious, asleep, and unable to respond. General Anesthesia should only be done in surgery centers or hospitals that have trained anesthesiologist or nurse anesthetist who can manage patient’s airway during the procedure. Conscious Sedation differs in that patients are able to respond to commands and most importantly ventilate on their own. Dr. Cady has been trained in general anesthesia and conscious sedation. He learned these techniques in his residency doing rotations in the hospital. He limits his sedation to conscious sedation in his practice. The staff has also been trained extensively. They received formal training in a multi-week course taught to dentist wanting to learn IV sedation.

3 primary ways that sedation is administered:

+ IV Sedation

  1. IV Sedation also known as Moderate Conscious Sedation is usually used by Oral Surgeons and dentists with specialized training and special certification. With this type of sedation, medications are administered directly into the blood stream. The greatest advantage of IV Sedation is that if someone is not sedated enough, the doctor can administer more medication and the effects are instantaneous. IV Sedation is not used commonly in most dental offices because of the specialized advanced training required and the requirements for certification by the State Board of Dentistry. The drugs used for IV Sedation are more effective than the same drugs taken orally. There is a more profound amnesia associated with this technique.

+ Orally Administered Sedation

  1. Enteral Conscious Sedation "Orally Administered Sedation", sometimes called “Sedation Dentistry" is administered by taking a pill. All body functions remain normal and the person is able to breathe on their own. The patient will often fall asleep. Some degree of amnesia is common. The disadvantage with this method of sedation is that the level of sedation for each person is not predictable.

+ Nitrous Oxide/Oxygen Sedation

  1. Inhalation Conscious Sedation, Nitrous Oxide/Oxygen Sedation also known as "laughing gas". This is the most frequently used sedation method used in dentistry. All bodily functions remain normal and the person is able to breathe on their own. The patient will often fall asleep and experience some degree of amnesia about what happened during their dental appointment. Inhalation Sedation has been used by dentists for many years.