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IV sedation/deep sedation?

G

Guest

Former Member
I am a 34 years old male big baby :) who is going to have four wisdom teeth and a molar (infected w/absess) extracted Thursday morning :cry:. I am going to this particular Doctor because I heard he does the procedures under iv sedation. When making the appointment they told me that even though my insurance covers iv sedation it won't cover the anethesia here because it is "deep sedation". I don't care about the money so long as I'm not aware of what's going on and the actual procedure is painless. What is the difference between regular iv sedation and deep sedation?
 
Hi there,
'deep sedation' is basically stronger than normal conscious iv sedation, but not quite as strong as a general anaesthetic. The term isn't really used in the UK as we like to differentiate clearly between conscious sedation and general anaesthetic. 'Deep Sedation' is kind of in between the two.
I hope this helps to clarify.
Regards,
Mike
 
The ADA in the US defines the difference as follows (this is from the American Dental Association's "Guidelines for the Use of Conscious Sedation, Deep Sedation and General Anesthesia for Dentists"):

Conscious sedation ("normal" IV sedation) is 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.

Deep sedation is defined as an induced state of depressed consciousness accompanied by partial loss of protective reflexes, including the inability to continually maintain an airway independently and/or to respond purposefully to physical stimulation or verbal command.

To administer deep sedation, the dentist must have completed more training and needs more equipment. The costs would also be higher because a minimum of 3 personnel (incl. the dentist) who are trained to administer/monitor the deep sedation procedure must be present. So this would drive up the cost. Best of luck on Thursday :)!!
 
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