Sit Back And Relax With Our Safe IV Sedation Dentistry in Catoosa OK

At Dental Arts of Catoosa, we offer in-house IV sedation dentistry treatments from warm, friendly, and certified sedation dentists.

Make Yourself Completely Comfortable With The Dental Arts

It can be pretty nerve-wracking to visit your dentist for an oral check-up or procedure. The idea of needles, dental procedures, or even the dentist alone can bring up feelings of fear and anxiety, leading you to put off dental visits. However, this can lead to an increased risk for tooth loss, oral cancer, or dental infections. Thankfully, IV sedation is the end-all to dental anxiety.


With our IV sedation dentistry, you can leave your dental anxiety in the doorway. IV sedation helps you to calm down and feel at peace, removing any fears you may have. Along with the compassionate care of Dr. Michaelsen and his entire staff, our sedation options will help you relax while receiving the most comfortable dental care in Catoosa. 


If you’re afraid to go to the dentist, fear no more. The dental technicians at Dental Arts of Catoosa are here to make you completely comfortable. Call today or schedule an appointment online to get started. Or, continue reading to learn more about IV sedation dentistry, its benefits, and why it may be the right choice for you.

What Is IV Sedation Dentistry?

IV sedation dentistry, also known as sleep dentistry, is a type of conscious sedation that helps you to relax and feel comfortable during your dental appointment. IV sedation doesn’t put you to sleep completely, but it does reduce how aware you are of your surroundings.


This makes it easier for the dentist to work on your mouth, but also leaves you conscious enough to respond to questions or follow directions. Unlike other forms of sedation such as nitrous oxide or pills, the dentist administers the sedation intravenously (IV), meaning it enters through your vein.

Levels of Sedation

There are varying levels of sedation that you may experience. This depends on a variety of factors. The type of procedure and how your body responds to anesthesia, as well as age, medical condition, and health habits may all affect the type of anesthesia you receive.

The levels of sedation are:


  • Minimal Sedation - At this level, it’s easy to relax, but you are awake. You can respond normally to verbal commands and directions. 
  • Moderate Sedation - You’re still awake at this level, but you may feel drowsy and even fall asleep during the procedure. In general, patients retain the ability to respond to verbal commands but may require gentle nudging from the dentist.
  • Deep Sedation - Here, you won’t be fully unconscious, however, you’ll most likely sleep through the procedure. If necessary you can be awakened, though you may not remember most or any of the procedure.
  • General Anesthesia - You are entirely unconscious and unaware of your surroundings or stimulation.

How Does IV Sedation Work?

Sleep dentistry is a great option for a stress-free dental appointment, but you may still have some questions about the procedure. Here’s a rundown on what to expect during

Before The Procedure

Before your appointment, it’s strongly recommended that you:


  • Wear loose, non-restrictive clothing
  • Avoid eating or drinking anything 8 hours before the procedure
  • Don’t smoke for at least 12 hours before the procedure
  • Don’t wear contact lenses
  • Don’t take any medications unless cleared by your dentist
  • Inform your dentist of any changes in your medical history 


These steps ensure that the procedure goes smoothly and reduce any risk of complications.

Initial Sedation and Adjustments

Your dentist will begin the procedure by placing you under sedation. First, the dentist will use a thin needle to place an IV in your arm or hand. The needle is used to deliver the sedative directly into your bloodstream using an intravenous tube. The dentist will then administer the local anesthetic via the IV into your bloodstream.


After a few moments, the medications will put you into a relaxed, semi-conscious state. Depending on the patient, the IV may stay for the duration of the procedure, or be removed once the drug is administered. In either case, both achieve the same level of sedation. 



Once under sedation, your dentist will monitor your physical signs to determine your sedation level. Your dentist may need to increase or decrease the level of sedation during the procedure. Your dentist will then adjust your sedation accordingly.

After The Procedure

After the procedure is over, your dentist will gently wake you from your sedative state. You may suffer from a hazy memory following the procedure – it's possible that you will remember responding to your dentists’ commands at one point, but your memories will be scarce. It’s also not uncommon to feel very drowsy from the anesthesia, which will last a while after the procedure. 

Because of this, it’s recommended that you have someone escort you home. They should also monitor you until they know that you are fully conscious and aware.


During this time you should avoid drinking alcohol, exercising, or making important decisions for 24 hours following the procedure.

It’s also recommended that you avoid eating food until any numbness has fully worn off. If your mouth is still numb while eating, you are at risk for biting injuries, which may lead to an infection. Once the numbness has worn off, you can eat foods as tolerated.


You should also avoid operating or driving heavy machinery for 24 hours following the procedure. This gives the sedation enough time to work its way out of your system fully.

After The Procedure

After the procedure is over, your dentist will gently wake you from your sedative state. You may suffer from a hazy memory following the procedure – it's possible that you will remember responding to your dentists’ commands at one point, but your memories will be scarce. It’s also not uncommon to feel very drowsy from the anesthesia, which will last a while after the procedure. 

Because of this, it’s recommended that you have someone escort you home. They should also monitor you until they know that you are fully conscious and aware. During this time you should avoid drinking alcohol, exercising, or making important decisions for 24 hours following the procedure.

It’s also recommended that you avoid eating food until any numbness has fully worn off. If your mouth is still numb while eating, you are at risk for biting injuries, which may lead to an infection. Once the numbness has worn off, you can eat foods as tolerated.

You should also avoid operating or driving heavy machinery for 24 hours following the procedure. This gives the sedation enough time to work its way out of your system fully.

The Benefits of IV Sedation

Any type of sedation is effective in helping you feel completely comfortable and safe during a procedure. However, IV sedation provides several benefits:

Deep Relaxation

IV sedation places patients on the deepest level of relaxation. Patients are semi-conscious, meaning they are awake and responsive to verbal commands and directions. Most patients don’t retain any memory of the procedure overall. This makes it a great option for those with any level of dental phobia.

Starts Working Quickly

Another advantage of IV sedation is that it takes effect quickly. Oral sedation medication may take an hour or more to fully take effect and is required to be taken at home before the procedure. IV sedation starts working within seconds, reaching the brain near-instantly and inducing deep relaxation. This also gets rid of any anxiety or fear that the patient may feel while waiting for the sedative.

Easily Adjustable

Once administered, oral sedation doesn’t allow for the dentist to control its length or effectiveness. With IV sedation, we maintain control of how much sedation the patient is receiving from start to finish. We start with small doses, increasing gradually until the desired level of sedation is reached. 

Once the patient is fully relaxed and comfortable, we can cease the administration of the sedative. If the patient shows signs of consciousness, we can also provide another dose. Not only does this allow the dentist control during the procedure, but it’s also easier for the patient to wake up once complete.

Quick Recovery

From the moment that the dentist stops administering the sedative, the effects begin to wear off. Even though you’ll still need someone to drive you home after the procedure, you’ll return to normal faster.

Better Oral Health

IV sedation offers such a deep level of relaxation that dentists can conduct dental work that is essential to have better oral health. Because the patient can cooperate without feeling any anxiety or pain, we can perform several procedures with only one or two appointments.

Why Choose The Dental Arts of Catoosa?

At Dental Arts of Catoosa, caring for patients not only means ensuring they obtain the dental treatments they need—it also means creating a completely comfortable atmosphere. We offer our patients amenities such as warm blankets and water to help them relax and feel safe. 

More, we offer up to 25% off on our in-office dental plan and are available for evening and weekend appointments. All of this makes it simple and easy for our patients to maintain peak dental health.

Learn More About Us

See What Our Patients Are Saying

Don’t just take our word for it. Take a look at our glowing patient testimonials that highlight just

how dedicated we are to providing friendly dental care to all of our clients.

"Dental arts has the friendliest staff. As someone who gets a lot of anxiety going to the dentist, I was so thankful to have found a place where the experience is made so easy. The dental assistants and the dentist's themselves, as well as the front desk, are all incredible. Thanks to Angela for allowing me to practically break her hand during the numbing process!"

Carla G.

★★★★★

"The people who work at DA dental in Catoosa are the nicest people I have ever met in my life! They make you feel so comfortable and also made sure I got all the care I needed. Helped me for financing my treatments and they were very informative when explaining what will happen. I highly recommend this place!"

Joni M.

★★★★★

Read More of Our 5 Star Patient Reviews

Call and Schedule Today

Contact us today or make an appointment online! We have evening and weekend office hours and an in-house dental plan to help you save. Above all else, our sedation options are among the safest and most trustworthy in Catoosa. You’ll love joining the Dental Arts family.

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