IV SEDATION DENTISTRY
IV sedation: the appointment you won’t remember, from the doctor who’s administered it since 2010.
Most patients who choose IV sedation describe the same experience: a small pinch, a warm calm, a pleasant conversation they half-remember starting — and then someone saying “all done.” The hours in between simply don’t get recorded. You’re never unconscious: you breathe on your own and can respond to us the entire time, but the anxiety circuit and the memory recorder are switched off. For implant surgery, it turns a procedure you’ve dreaded for years into a morning you’ll struggle to describe.
Why credentials matter more here than anywhere
IV sedation is the deepest sedation a dentist can personally administer, and it should be exactly as boring as ours is: Dr. Oestervemb has been IV sedation certified since 2010, with sedation training built into his hospital-based fellowship at the University of Iowa. Your medical history is reviewed before anything is prescribed; your heart rate, oxygen, and blood pressure are continuously monitored throughout; the depth is adjustable minute to minute; and reversal agents sit within arm’s reach and almost never leave the shelf. Sixteen years of uneventful sedations is the résumé you want.
What it costs (yes, we publish this too)
IV sedation here is $195 per 15 minutes — billed for actual sedation time, quoted in writing with your treatment plan so the total is never a surprise. Most offices treat sedation fees like a state secret; we think the person choosing to be sedated deserves the number in advance. For patients who need to be fully asleep instead, general anesthesia with a licensed anesthesiologist is available in-center at a flat published fee.
Who chooses IV sedation
The majority of our implant-surgery patients, for a start — especially full-arch cases, where one calm, unremembered session beats an endurance event. Beyond surgery: severe dental anxiety, strong gag reflexes, difficulty getting numb with local anesthesia alone, patients compressing multiple procedures into one visit, and anyone whose last dental memory is bad enough that a new, blank one sounds like mercy. If your case is lighter, we’ll say so — nitrous or oral sedation cost less and may be plenty.
Your IV sedation visit, practically
Fasting for several hours beforehand (exact written instructions provided); comfortable clothes; a driver — you cannot drive until the next day. The IV goes in, the calm arrives within a minute or two, treatment happens, and you spend a short recovery period with us before your companion takes you home for a lazy afternoon. Most patients feel normal by evening and clear by morning, with little to no memory of the middle part — which was the entire point.
Is IV sedation safe?
With proper screening and continuous monitoring, it has an excellent safety record. You’re breathing on your own throughout, vitals are tracked continuously, and the administering doctor has held IV certification since 2010 with hospital-based training. Your specific health factors get an honest review first.
Will I be completely asleep?
Not with IV sedation — you’re in a deeply relaxed “twilight” state, responsive but largely amnesic. If fully asleep is what you need, we offer general anesthesia with a licensed anesthesiologist right here.
How much does IV sedation cost?
$195 per 15 minutes of sedation time, quoted in writing with your treatment plan before anything is scheduled.
Can I have IV sedation for a smaller procedure, like a single implant or extraction?
Yes — sedation is matched to your anxiety, not just the procedure’s size. Plenty of single-implant patients choose it, and nobody here will talk you out of comfort.