Relaxation Dentistry

We understand that many patients are apprehensive about dental treatment. That is why at Pacific Northwest Periodontics we offer a number of services to make your experience a more pleasant one.

Conscious Sedation is defined as 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 and verbal command and that is produced by pharmacological or nonpharmacologic methods or combination thereof. Unlike General Anesthesia where a patient is completely unconscious, asleep, and unable to respond, patients under Conscious Sedation are able to respond to commands and breathe on their own.

There are 4 primary ways that Sedation is administered at Pacific Northwest Periodontics:

1. Conscious Sedation (Nitrous Oxide/Oxygen Sedation) also known as "laughing gas". This is the most frequently used sedation method used in dentistry. All bodily functions remain normal and the person is able to breathe on their own. This is a reasonably predictable form of sedation that we use mainly for cleaning appointments.

2. Orally Administered Sedation is administered by taking a pill prior to the scheduled appointment (usually Halcion and on occasion Valium). All body functions remain normal and the person is able to breathe on their own. Sometimes the patient will fall asleep and some degree of amnesia is common. We find this is a predictable and comfortable approach for the majority of our patients and highly recommend it for all surgical procedures. However it is important to note that the level of sedation is variable for each person.

3. Deep Conscious (IV sedation) Sedation is administered directly into the blood stream by an anesthesiologist. Deep sedation is a state of depressed consciousness. However, the patient can still feel noxious stimuli like pain, so local anesthesia is still necessary. The drugs used for IV Sedation are more effective then the same drugs taken orally. There is also a more profound amnesia associated with this technique. The greatest advantage of IV Sedation is that if the person is not sedated enough, the anesthesiologist can administer more medication and the effects are instantaneous. Bodily functions remain normal and the person is able to breathe on their own.

4. General anesthesia (GA) is when the person is totally unconscious. In this state, the person is unable to feel any pain, even without local anesthesia. General anesthesia is a deeper state of sedation, where the patient loses the protective gag-reflex and ability to breathe on his own. We believe that IV Sedation and General Anesthesia should only be administered by highly trained medical personnel who can monitor vital signs throughout the duration of the procedure and should therefore not be provided by the person performing the surgery. We work closely with a number of dental anesthesiologists who come to our office to administer the medications and provide close monitoring of our patients.

IV sedation and GA administration incur additional fees that are paid directly to the provider. All patients are encouraged to speak with the anesthesiologist beforehand and are provided with a detailed estimate of these fees prior to treatment.