Intravenous Sedation ($345 per session)

Intravenous (Sleep) Sedation is a technique through which complete patient comfort is achieved by the administration of sedative and pain controlling drugs directly into the veins. The advantage of this method is that the rate and depth of the sedation can be finely controlled to provide the highest standards of patient comfort and safety. Another advantage is that the dentist has the option to administer pain relieving drugs along with the sedative drugs. This option is important for patients for whom the dentist feels that painful procedures are to be performed and, as always, patient comfort is of paramount importance. This option of combining sedation and pain relief is not available with other methods.

Less than one percent of general dentists in California have the permit necessary to perform Intravenous (IV) Sedation. The educational requirements to earn this permit from the Dental Board of California are stringent. Our office performs an advanced method of Intravenous Sedation utilizing an infusion pump that carefully administers sedative medications during the two to three hours that our average case lasts. We are the only office in either Ventura or Santa Barbara Counties that uses this method.

Oral Sedation ($83 per session)

Oral sedation uses pills to deliver the sedative medications. The drug commonly used is called Halcion (triazolam is the generic name). Oral sedation is very effective to aid the patient through short, and non-invasive dental procedures. This technique is commonly advertised as “oral conscious sedation” or “sedation dentistry” by other offices. The advantage of this technique is the ability to bring on amnesia of the dentistry performed in approximately 50% of the cases where it is used. Another advantage is the cost. However, there are disadvantages with oral sedation. The main disadvantage is that it is not a predictable sedation. Since the medications are administered orally, it is not possible to get a consistent level of sedation on every patient. In selecting any sedative method, the patient and the dentist must make the decision based on the length and difficulty of the dentistry to be performed. Some offices charge up to $350 for this procedure and call it "sleep dentistry".

Nitrous Oxide/Oxygen ($65 per hour)

Commonly referred to as “Laughing Gas” (even though it does not make anyone laugh!) this method provides a light, comfortable sedation for small, short procedures. Many times we use it for routine dental cleanings to keep the patient very comfortable. The level of the sedation can be controlled by varying the concentration of the nitrous oxide delivered via a nasal mask. Its main advantage to this method is that the patient does not need a ride to take them home after treatment. The effects of the gas are completely gone prior to leaving the office. Nitrous oxide/oxygen sedation is the oldest of all dental sedation methods and dates back to the 1870’s. It is an extremely safe method. Our office was specially designed with a sophisticated piped-in nitrous oxide/oxygen system. More detailed information on nitrous oxide/oxygen sedation.