What IV sedation is
Treatment you will barely remember
IV sedation delivers medication directly into a vein, so it takes effect within a minute and the level can be adjusted throughout the appointment. You are not unconscious. You breathe on your own, you can respond if spoken to, and you stay in that deeply relaxed state until we are finished.
Most patients remember very little afterward. The appointment that they had been dreading for months becomes a gap in the day. That amnesia is not a side effect we apologize for; for many anxious patients it is the entire point.
Dr. Craig Fisk holds Georgia certification to administer intravenous sedation, which means it is given here, in our own office, by the dentist treating you.
Who it is for
Severe dental anxiety
Patients who have put off care for years, who cannot sit through an appointment, or whose heart races in the parking lot.
A strong gag reflex
When impressions, X-rays or work on back teeth trigger gagging, sedation settles the reflex enough to work comfortably.
Long or complex treatment
Implant placement, multiple extractions or a full restorative case done in one sitting rather than spread over several visits.
Difficulty getting numb
Some people metabolize local anesthetic quickly or have anatomy that makes numbing unpredictable. Sedation changes that equation.
Safety
How we keep it safe
IV sedation is safe when it is administered by someone trained and licensed to do it, in a room equipped for it, on a patient who has been properly screened. All three of those conditions are non-negotiable here.
State certified
Dr. Fisk holds Georgia certification to administer intravenous sedation and maintains the continuing education and emergency training it requires. The dentist sedating you is the dentist treating you.
Screened beforehand
We review your medical history, medications, allergies and prior anesthesia experiences before scheduling. Some conditions change the plan; a few rule sedation out, and we will tell you plainly if that is the case.
Monitored throughout
Blood pressure, heart rate, oxygen saturation and breathing are monitored continuously by a trained team member whose only job during the appointment is watching you.
Reversible
The medications used can be reversed if needed, and the dose is adjusted in real time rather than given all at once. We can bring you up or take you deeper as the appointment requires.
Emergency equipped
Emergency medications and airway equipment are in the room, checked on a schedule, and the team drills on their use. It is the part of sedation you should never need to think about.
You go home with someone
A responsible adult drives you home and stays with you for the rest of the day. We will not sedate a patient who arrives alone, for the same reason we would not let you drive afterward.
For nervous patients
What changes when fear is off the table
Dental fear is rarely irrational. It usually traces to something specific: a painful appointment as a child, a dentist who did not stop when asked, or years of being lectured about teeth that were already a source of shame. None of that needs to be argued away before you can be treated.
What sedation does is break the cycle. One comfortable appointment is worth more than any amount of reassurance, and patients who have avoided care for a decade often come back for ordinary cleanings afterward.
The appointment disappears
Time compresses. A two-hour procedure feels like a few minutes, and most patients recall almost none of it.
Everything at once
Work that would take four visits can often be completed in one. For patients who dread coming in, fewer appointments is its own kind of relief.
No physical strain
Jaw fatigue, a sore back and the tension of holding still for an hour all disappear. You are relaxed, so your body is too.
The avoidance ends
Patients who came in for one sedated appointment frequently return for routine care without it. The fear was attached to an experience, and the experience changed.
Tell us when you book that you are anxious. It changes how we schedule you and how the appointment is planned. Call 770-995-0538.
Oral versus IV sedation
An oral sedative is a tablet taken before the appointment: helpful for mild anxiety, but the dose is fixed once swallowed and the effect varies from person to person. IV sedation is delivered through a vein, takes effect within minutes, and can be adjusted during the appointment to the depth actually needed. Most patients remember very little of the procedure.
On the day
You will be given instructions on eating and drinking beforehand, and you must have an adult drive you home. Plan to take the rest of the day off.
Dr. Fisk’s training
Dr. Fisk earned his DDS at Columbia University College of Dental Medicine in 2009 and completed a residency at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Philadelphia. He holds Georgia certification to administer intravenous sedation.
At a glance
Real results
Cases treated under sedation, before and after
Drag the slider through our sedation-assisted cases and see the difference for yourself. Actual patients; individual results vary.
Other treatments
Explore the rest of what we do
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Find us on Old Norcross Road
Address
747 Old Norcross Rd
Lawrenceville, GA 30046
Free parking outside the office.
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770-995-0538Hours
Monday–Thursday, 8:00am–5:00pm
Friday–Sunday, closed