A dentist specializing in sedation must take sedation dentistry courses in addition to their typical general dentistry courses. In addition, dentists must maintain their license by receiving continuing education classes. Like any other medical professional, those who work in dental care need a significant amount of training to perform their functions. This means that dentists, as well as dental hygienists, need additional training and certification to carry out certain tasks.
Individual training experiences with an anesthesiologist, a dentist specializing in sedation, and a CRNA are provided in educational and clinical settings. Useful forms such as consent forms, sedation flow charts, narcotics records, emergency procedure manuals, etc. are also provided. The dentist who wishes to administer general anesthesia or sedation in the dental office must obtain a permit from the Board of Dental Examiners.
The North Carolina Dental Board refers to the level of sedation dentistry that involves the use of intravenous routes such as moderate-conscious sedation dentistry, because it is not “limited to oral administration of sedation”. Oral surgeons, for example, can offer this additional level of sedation to dentistry, even though the means of sedation are more limited (i.e., downloading the request for permission for minimal conscious sedation). Continuing education courses are not accepted for the initial application. Benefits of sedative dentistry include performing more dentistry in a single visit instead of repeat visits; the many cases of restoration of patients who were previously reluctant due to anxiety; and patients who feel little or no post-operative discomfort regardless of the procedure, which translates into more referrals.
It's common to hear about patients who call their dentist the next day, not to complain, but to express their gratitude and joy on their first visit to the dentist without fear.
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