How effective has IV sedation been for you?

[Zach_H]

I am hopeful that my retreated tooth will be saved, but if not, apparently extraction is the only option....which freaks me out. I'm not sure if a pill is enough for that......maybe?

I realize IV sedation is a much safer (and cheaper!)option compared to general anesthesia. I have been able to take a Valium pill before cleanings and a root canal and been ok for several years, and will be in the future,even though the anticipatory anxiety is enough to make everyone in the house insane with me. I know IV sedation doesn't help with that, but maybe I could take the pill the night before or 2 nights before as long as they agree.


If you have had IV sedation, how effective was it once it was administered to calm you down and lower your anxiety? Did it relieve it completely once it was administered? Was it fast acting, etc...?

We are all in the same boat here and it would be helpful to know if it really worked as advertised. My dentist suggested that for a complicated procedure (something from an oral surgeon, etc..) it would be wonderful. He also mentioned that it makes it hard to remember the procedure, which is fine, but I am really concerned with how I will feel during it....

As always, Thanks!

 

[ZannaBanana]

Works a treat! I had never had it until I had several extractions just this past Friday with iv sedation. From the time he finished putting the drugs in to when I was knocked out was maybe 10 seconds. And since one of the drugs they use for sedation is an anti anxiety drug, those 10 seconds are pure bliss. No fear, no anxiety. I was completely unaware while he put an implant in a molar spot, pulled several teeth and put in bone grafts. First I was aware he was finishing up.

 

[Zach_H]

Works a treat! I had never had it until I had several extractions just this past Friday with iv sedation. From the time he finished putting the drugs in to when I was knocked out was maybe 10 seconds. And since one of the drugs they use for sedation is an anti anxiety drug, those 10 seconds are pure bliss. No fear, no anxiety. I was completely unaware while he put an implant in a molar spot, pulled several teeth and put in bone grafts. First I was aware he was finishing up.

Thats is awesome - thanks. Did you have conscious IV sedation or general anesthesia? I thought that with IV sedation I’d still be awake and cognizant, I just wouldn’t care. What you had sounds ideal.

How are are you feeling now? Hopefully the recovery is either over or going well.

 

[Asrial]

I just experienced conscious sedation myself for the first time and I had the same anxiety leading up to it, and even as it was being administered.. and there's just no reason for it. There's nothing to be anxious about.

The ceiling started shimmering, I was talking about it, and then boom, I was waking up at the end of the procedure. It took about 20-30 seconds to kick in from the start of the injection.

The conscious aspect is that you're still able to respond to commands from the dentist and stuff.

 

[Zach_H]

I just experienced conscious sedation myself for the first time and I had the same anxiety leading up to it, and even as it was being administered.. and there's just no reason for it. There's nothing to be anxious about.

The ceiling started shimmering, I was talking about it, and then boom, I was waking up at the end of the procedure. It took about 20-30 seconds to kick in from the start of the injection.

The conscious aspect is that you're still able to respond to commands from the dentist and stuff.

Thanks. I didn’t realize that you were so “out”, even with conscious sedation. If they ask you questions, do you answer and then fade back out? Did it make it so you don’t remember much? That all seems lovely compared to the alternatives.

 

[Asrial]

If they ask you questions, do you answer and then fade back out? Did it make it so you don’t remember much?

I don't remember anything while I was out. I remember talking to the nurse and doctor as they were hooking things up to me, the ceiling shimmering, and then I was waking up at the end of the procedure. It was like being woken up from deep sleep where you're still super sleepy and just kind of want to lay there and go back to sleep. However, once I woke up I was awake. I was groggy, and a little tipsy physically, but I was fully aware of things and ready to get the heck out of there. I literally have a 45 minute window that I can't recall anything, not even a hazy feeling of stuff happening.

Don't freak out about this!

I have a bruise on my arm I can't explain