About Specialty Services

Our office is committed to making your periodontal and implant therapy a comfortable experience.

We provide various options of sedation when undergoing treatment, including local anesthesia or local anesthesia and conscious sedation. These options will be discussed to meet your individual needs during your consultation and treatment planning.

Nitrous Oxide, or “laughing gas”, is a convenient form of mild sedation. It is very safe and can be used during most procedures. It is administered through a small mask that is placed over your nose. You are able to drive yourself to and from your dental appointment safely because it clears out of your system in a matter of minutes.

Oral Sedation is a safe, affordable form of sedation that involves a prescription. When using this form of sedation you take one pill an hour prior to your dental appointment. You must have someone available to drive you to and from your appointment. It is recommended that someone stay with you for several hours after you return home until the effects of the sedative wear off. Patients who use this form of sedation often do not remember their appointment, which can be an added benefit.

If your periodontal surgery is performed under IV sedation, the doctor and a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) will be present throughout your scheduled appointment. CRNA’s stay with their patients throughout their procedure monitoring their vital signs, and adjusting their medications to ensure the safest, most comfortable anesthesia experience. This form of sedation requires you to have someone drive you to and from your appointment, and they should stay with you for the remainder of that day.

Conscious sedation is defined by the American Dental Association 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 or verbal command and that is produced by a pharmacological or non-pharmacological method or a combination thereof.”

According to the ASA, a pre-sedation assessment includes, but is not limited to:

• Physical status assessment (review of systems, vital signs, airway, cardiopulmonary reserve).
• Past and present drug history including drug allergies.
• Previous adverse experience with sedation and analgesia as well as with regional and general anesthesia.
• Results of relevant diagnostic studies.
• History of tobacco, alcohol, and substance use/abuse.
• Verification of patient NPO status.
• Plan and choice of sedation.
• Transportation arrangements for patients who are expected to be discharged from the facility.

Our practice has provided safe and effective levels of conscious sedation for over 25 years. Our doctors and CRNAs have been extensively trained and experienced in the area of conscious sedation. They maintain all required guidelines to administer in office sedation and also maintain BLS and ACLS certifications.