Sedation Dentistry
Do you break out in a cold sweat at the mere thought of going to the dentist? Does the sound of the drill make you want to bury your head in the sand and hide for the next week? Your next visit to the dentist does not need to be like this!!

Sedation Dentistry is all about easing your anxiety and making you as comfortable as possible while getting as much work done as is feasible. You'll be sedated just enough to be unaware of the treatment. When the procedure is completed, you'll have little or no memory of what was accomplished!!

Why would I be interested in Sedation Dentistry?
Would you rather have your work done in six appointments over the next two months or in one appointment while you relax? Sedation Dentistry is really all about making an anxious or frightened patient comfortable and at ease for the process of performing the necessary dentistry. It allows the patient to relax or even snooze, get a lot of work done at one time, and for many patients, they experience little or no recollection of the actual visit. What an awesome way to experience dentistry!! Now if we could only find a way to forget about paying taxes!!!

If Sedation Dentistry sounds like the best option for you, contact us today at 208.466.2456 or click HERE and we can get you scheduled right away.

Just in case if we have not already convinced you that Sedation Dentistry is the easy way to go, here is a list of additional benefits for each type of Sedation Dentistry that we offer.

Advantages of Dental Orally Administered Sedation:
  • Easy to administer: Swallow a small pill
  • It is safe and easy to monitor
  • Works well for most people
  • Low Cost
Advantages of Dental Inhalation Conscious Sedation or "laughing gas":
  • Works well for mild to moderate anxiety
  • Rapid Onset
  • Flexible duration can be used for any appointment length
  • Absolute Control. It is easy to quickly control the level of sedation which may be altered moment to moment.
  • People recover quickly
  • Very few side effects
  • There is an analgesic effect
  • You can drive yourself to and from your dental appointment
  • You can return to normal activities immediately
Advantages of Dental Intravenous or "IV" Conscious Sedation:
  • Most patients experience no discomfort whatsoever during treatment and feel surprisingly good afterwards.
  • You will receive just enough sedation so that you'll be relaxed and unconcerned about the dental treatment.
  • You will have a lot of work to be done in a short period of time (the dentist can work more quickly when a patient is sedated and is therefore unable to experience any discomfort)
  • You will have little or no memory of what was accomplished.
  • Your body will not be "fighting" the stress of a dental procedure and your recovery time can be significantly reduced.
  • The onset of action is very rapid, and drug dosage and level of sedation can be tailored to meet the individual's needs.
  • The maximum level of sedation which can be reached with IV is deeper than with oral or inhalation sedation.
  • The gag reflex is hugely diminished - people receiving IV sedation rarely experience difficulty with gagging.
  • Can be ideal for those with a phobia of dental injections.
  • You won't remember any sounds or smells.
  • People who have difficulty getting numb will have no problem when relaxed.
  • Sedation dentistry is a safe way to reduce the fatigue of extended dental treatment requiring long visits.

What is Sedation Dentistry?
Sedation Dentistry, sometimes called Relaxation Dentistry, refers to the methods a dentist uses to manage Pain and Anxiety during dental appointments. Unlike General Anesthesia where a patient is completely unconscious, asleep, and unable to respond, patients under Conscious Sedation are able to respond to commands and breath on their own. There are actually 14 different ways that sedation drugs can be administered. There are 3 primary ways that Dr. Keller will administer Sedation. These are: IV Sedation, Enteral Conscious Sedation and Inhalation Conscious Sedation.
  • Intravenous or "IV" Conscious Sedation: With this type of sedation, medications are administered directly into the blood stream. The greatest advantage of IV Sedation is that if someone is not sedated enough, the doctor can administer more medication and the effects are instantaneous. The drugs used for IV Sedation are more effective than the same drugs taken orally. There is a more profound amnesia associated with this technique. Many patients either do not or only vaguely remember their dental experience when IV Conscious Sedation is used. All body functions remain normal and the patient is able to breathe on their own. The patient will often fall asleep. IV Sedation is not used commonly in most dental offices because of the special advanced training required and the requirements for certification by the State Board of Dentistry, however, Dr. Keller is certified for IV Conscious Sedation Dentistry!!


  • Enteral Conscious Sedation or "Orally Administered Sedation", sometimes called "Sedation Dentistry" is administered by taking a pill. All body functions remain normal and the person is able to breathe on their own. The patient will often fall asleep. Some degree of amnesia is common. The disadvantage with this method of sedation, is that the level of sedation for each person is not predictable.


  • Inhalation Conscious Sedation, or "Nitrous Oxide/Oxygen Sedation" is also known as "laughing gas". This is the most frequently used sedation method employed in dentistry. All bodily functions remain normal and the person is able to breathe on their own. The patient will often fall asleep and experience some degree of amnesia about what happened during their dental appointment. Inhalation Sedation has been used by many dentists for many years.
If one of our methods of Sedation Dentistry sounds like the best option for you, contact us today at 208.466.2456 or click HERE and we can get you scheduled right away.