You will begin your journey with a consultation. This consultation can happen outside of the dental chair if it makes you more comfortable. During this consultation the dentist will review your medical history and any dental concerns as well as your level of anxiety. This will help to determine what type of conscious sedation will work best for you. Once the type is determined the dentist will discuss what that is and why. The dentist will also review some pre-operative instructions for you to follow the day of your sedation appointment as well as post-operative details (like needing someone to drive you home).

Either along with your consultation or at another brief appointment before your sedation appointment it is best if we are able to evaluate your mouth. This will allow the dentist to determine exactly what treatment is necessary and give you time to ask questions regarding that treatment

Once this is determined a treatment plan can be formulated that will explain the estimated costs of your treatment including the sedation.
This treatment plan will be reviewed with you so you can prepare for
any out-of-pocket expenses there may be. Next a date or dates
(depending on what you need) for your sedation treatment will be chosen.

When you arrive for your sedation appointment come dressed in comfortable, loose fitting clothes. The first person you will visit will be our front office employee who will answer any final questions you have regarding insurance coverage or cost and collect our estimated patient portion. This is done ahead of time as you are sleepy following your appointment and we want you to be able to ask any questions you have regarding the financial aspect of your treatment.

Next the dentist will bring you back to the consultation room to review your medical history once more and go over an informed consent form prior to starting treatment. You are now ready to start your dental treatment. The sedation portion of the appointment will be different depending on the type of sedation you and the dentist have chosen. With either type you can expect to feel sleepy and relaxed during treatment. You will still be able to respond to us but probably will not remember responding. You may remember parts of the treatment or you may not. Following your “nap” you will be able to walk to our recovery room where we will dismiss you once the dentist has determined you are ready. You will need an adult to drive you home and stay with you for a while. You will likely feel groggy and sleepy for a good part of the day of your appointment.

Either later that same day or the next day your dentist will call you to see how you are feeling and answer any questions you may have regarding the treatment you received.