Nitrous oxide and oral conscious sedation are enough for most patients who feel anxious about endodontic care. A smaller number of patients need more: those with severe dental anxiety or phobia, patients who cannot tolerate treatment while awake, patients with certain developmental or behavioral needs, or cases where a lengthy or complex procedure is best completed in a single sedated visit. For these patients, Ocean Endodontics can arrange IV sedation in our office.
IV sedation at our office is not provided by our own team. It is administered by an independent, licensed dental anesthesiologist who joins us for your appointment. While Dr. Leong focuses entirely on your endodontic treatment, the anesthesiologist focuses entirely on your sedation and physiologic monitoring: administering the medication, monitoring you throughout the procedure, and staying with you until you have recovered sufficiently to leave with your escort. Two clinicians, each with one job.
Because the anesthesiologist is a separate provider, their fee is separate too. It is not included in the treatment estimate you receive from Ocean Endodontics, and it is billed to you directly by the anesthesiologist under their own fee schedule. Before your appointment you will receive the anesthesiologist’s fee information and consent forms from their office, so you know the full cost of the visit in advance. Dental insurance often does not cover anesthesia services; the anesthesiologist’s office can tell you what applies to their fee. Our own fees and your expected responsibility for the endodontic treatment are reviewed with you as usual.
IV sedation is scheduled in advance rather than on the day of an emergency visit, so that both offices can review your health history and medications and confirm that IV sedation is appropriate for you. You will receive individualized fasting and medication instructions before the appointment. You must arrange for a responsible adult to accompany you, drive you home, and follow any additional escort requirements provided by the anesthesiologist. Plan to rest for the remainder of the day and follow all postoperative instructions before returning to driving, work, caregiving, or other activities requiring alertness.
If you have put off a root canal or other endodontic treatment because you did not think you could get through it, call us. We will talk through the options, from nitrous oxide to oral conscious sedation to IV sedation, and help you choose the one that fits.
This page is for general education and is not a substitute for an in-person examination. Comfort options provided by our own team are nitrous oxide (laughing gas) and, for appropriate patients, oral conscious sedation. IV sedation can be arranged on a case-by-case basis and is administered by an independent, licensed dental anesthesiologist who bills separately from Ocean Endodontics. Suitability is determined after a review of your health history.
Benefits
- A deeper level of sedation for patients who need it
- Administered and monitored by an independent, licensed dental anesthesiologist
- Dr. Leong focuses on your treatment while the anesthesiologist focuses on you
- May make it easier for appropriate patients to tolerate a longer or more complex appointment
- The anesthesiologist’s fee information reaches you before the appointment
What to expect at your visit
Once IV sedation is planned, you receive fasting and medication instructions, along with the anesthesiologist’s fee information and consent forms, in advance. On the day, the anesthesiologist starts the IV, administers the sedation, and monitors you throughout while Dr. Leong completes your treatment. Local anesthetic is still used to numb the treatment area. IV sedation helps with anxiety, awareness, memory, and tolerance of the procedure, but does not replace local anesthesia. Afterward you recover in the office until you are ready to leave with your escort, and you should rest for the remainder of the day.
Is this right for you?
IV sedation may be appropriate for patients with severe dental anxiety or phobia, a strong gag reflex, difficulty tolerating dental treatment while awake, certain developmental or behavioral needs, or a lengthy or complex procedure. Suitability is decided case by case after Dr. Leong and the anesthesiologist review your health history and medications. Some patients are better served by nitrous oxide or oral conscious sedation instead.
Fees, billing, and safety
The anesthesiologist is an independent provider with their own fee schedule. Their fee is not part of your Ocean Endodontics treatment estimate and is billed to you separately by the anesthesiologist; you will receive that fee information before your appointment. Dental insurance often does not cover anesthesia services, so ask the anesthesiologist’s office what applies to you. IV sedation is not appropriate for everyone. A full review of your health history and current medications by both Dr. Leong and the anesthesiologist is required, and you must follow the fasting instructions you are given and arrive with a responsible adult who can drive you home.
If this is your first visit, our new patient guide walks through exactly what to expect, and insurance & financing covers cost and coverage.
We provide IV sedation to patients across San Francisco and beyond, including the Richmond District, downtown San Francisco, and the Outer Mission. See all the areas we serve.
