IV Sedation

Intravenous (IV) sedation can help our patients who suffer from extreme dental fear. Our dentists provide safe and controlled sedation medication through an IV to put you to sleep while we work. So if you’ve avoided the dentist because of a deep fear, or if you need to have an extensive or invasive procedure done, talk with us about how IV sedation can help you stay calm and pain-free throughout.

Providing Safe, Anxiety-Free Dentistry

Our goal at Riccobene Associates Family Dentistry is to help all of our patients get the great oral health care they need while keeping them comfortable. We understand that some of our patients suffer from a great deal of dental anxiety. To help those with the most extreme dental fear, we can provide IV sedation during treatment. We carefully monitor your sedation levels to ensure that you are safe the entire time you’re under. Depending on your needs and anxiety level, we can use IV sedation during treatments ranging from a routine cleaning to oral surgery.

How IV Sedation Works

IV sedation delivers a sedative directly into your bloodstream, creating near-instant effects. You’ll be asleep within seconds of the beginning of administration. During your procedure, we monitor your vitals carefully to make sure you stay safe and pain-free. We can adjust the medication levels any time we need to.

What to Expect

When you’re under IV sedation, you’re essentially asleep. That means you’ll still have reflexes and be able to breathe on your own. You also won’t remember much of the procedure, if any of it. Since IV sedation leaves you so relaxed, our team can perform longer procedures that might otherwise take multiple visits. This is especially great for anxious patients because it means less time overall in the dental chair!

You’re in Good Hands

Administering IV sedation requires additional training by our dentists. So you can rest assured that our team of IV sedation-certified dentists—Drs. Haysam Tawfik and Justin Blessing—have your safety and best interest at heart.

FAQs About IV Sedation

Is IV sedation safe?

We make sure our patients undergoing IV sedation are completely safe the entire time! We go over your medical history to make sure there aren’t any red flags that might cause problems while you’re under, and we carefully control your sedation levels the entire time you’re out.

Will I wake up while under IV sedation?

Since we carefully monitor your vitals the whole time, you will not wake up while under IV sedation. If we have any indication that more sedative is required, we will increase the amount of medication just enough to make sure you stay completely asleep. You’ll only wake up once the procedure is over and we’ve removed the IV.

Will I feel pain while under IV sedation?

The sedative medication keeps you asleep and pain-free during the procedure. Additionally, we use local anesthesia to numb the teeth we’re working on. So when you wake up—with no memory of the procedure—you’ll feel no pain even in your mouth!

If dental anxiety has kept you from the dentist, or if you need to undergo extensive dental treatment to get a healthy smile, call Riccobene Associates Family Dentistry to learn about how IV sedation can help you. Our NC Research Triangle dentists are here to help you achieve your best smile.

Your Comfort Is Our Priority!

Contact us to learn more about IV sedation!