IV sedation for dentistry can provide significant benefits for your patients with dental anxiety or those undergoing complex procedures. While it is generally safe, there is an alarming increase in the unnecessary use of sedation particularly for patients subjectively labeled as “challenging,” teens, and children in need of basic dental treatments.
When you are considering making a request for sedation for a patient, you need to remember there are risks associated with the approach that does not take into account the patient’s age, immediate health status, allergies, cold or runny nose, body weight and potentially undiagnosed medical conditions.
These aforementioned conditions could lead to over-sedation, allergic reactions, nausea and vomiting, and disorientation. Patients with certain medical conditions, such as respiratory issues or heart problems may be at a higher risk for complications and a person’s age and weight can impact responses to the sedation medications chosen or used for the procedures.
Anesthesia for dental treatments should not be provided because the patient or the guardian wants sedation. For general dental treatments, you should discourage the patient from opting for conscious intravenous sedation. Sometimes, this approach could cause irreparable harm. Consider this article from Dr. Bicuspid.
Try other approaches such as nitrous oxide or pre- appointment anxiolytics in low doses. It may prove beneficial in the future when you treat a patient who does not react favorably to IV sedation.