sleep dentistry

Sedation Dentists: What is the Cost of Sedation Dentistry? (video)

June 21, 2011 By Catherine Hughes 1 Comment

The Wealthy Dentist conducted a survey that asked dentists about the cost of sedation dentistry.

The cost of sedation dentistry varies widely among dentists. Of course, if you are a dental patient spending thousands for cosmetic dentistry, then sedation fees are just a drop in the bucket.

The average fee for oral conscious sedation is about $300. Some dentists don’t charge, whereas others ask as much as $650.

A third offer IV sedation, charging about $500. But intravenous sedation fees ranged from $250-$800. Only 6% have general anesthesia capabilities. Ranging from $320 to $1200, anesthesia costs around $700.

“My IV sedation fee is based on the amount of time needed to complete dental procedures,” said a Florida pediatric dentist.

“Most of the time I don’t charge for the sedation as these are usually very large (20K plus) cases,” reported a Texas dentist.

To hear more of what dentists had to say about sedation dentistry, please click play and watch the following survey video -

Conscious sedation dentistry helps lower patients’ anxiety and marketing sedation dentistry to the anxious dental patient is a smart way to bring in new dental patients.

What do you charge for oral conscious sedation at your dental practice?

For more on this survey see: Sedation Dentistry: Cost of Peace of Mind

Sedation Dentist? For Many Patients, Not During a Recession

January 19, 2010 By Julie Frey Leave a Comment

Many patients who might see a sedation dentist are avoiding sedation dentistry for less expensive options, found this survey. Two out of three dentists say the recession has led to a decrease in demand for sleep dentistry.

This is especially true of oral conscious sedation, but also holds true for IV sedation.

“There’s also been a decrease in demand for dental implants and cosmetic dentistry," said one dentist. “People are trying to save wherever they can,” agreed a periodontist.

Here are some further comments:

"All of dentistry is elective excluding a simple extraction. When times are bad and money is tight, dentistry can be delayed, including broken fillings, cleanings, crowns, etc." (Indiana dentist)
"If it costs more for sedation dentistry…or anything else…patients would rather not do it or delay treatment." (General dentist)
“The recession is causing patients to defer anything except what they perceive to be critical care.” (Maine dentist)
"Demand has stayed the same or slightly INCREASED!” (Indiana dentist)
“Case sizes are smaller as dental financing is not as readily available.” (Tennessee dentist)
This is the first time an economic slowdown/recession has ever affected our practice.” (California dentist)

Filed Under: Dental Surveys, Sedation Dentistry Tagged With: conscious sedation, dental sedation, IV sedation, oral conscious sedation, sedation dentistry, Sedation Dentistry, sleep dentistry

Dentists Love Oral Conscious Sedation Dentistry

October 22, 2007 By Julie Frey 7 Comments

Survey Finds OCS a Top Priority among Dentists

In our most recent survey, we asked dentists if they offer their patients oral conscious sedation. Two out of three dentists reported that their dental practices offer OCS. A quarter of dentists don’t feel comfortable offering sedation. And 8% said that they wished they were able to offer OCS, but regulations in their state made it too difficult to implement in their practice. Oral Conscious Sedation Dentistry

When it comes to sedation, urban dentists are the most conservative, and rural dentists the most liberal. Rural dentists are most likely to offer sedation. In addition, urban dentists were most likely to wish they were able to offer oral conscious sedation.

Gender differences were minimal, but still significant. Female dentists were more likely to feel uncomfortable offering OCS than their male colleagues. In addition, male dentists are more likely to offer OCS at their practices.

“Oral conscious sedation is an excellent tool for the fearful patient that has not been to the dentist in years,” commented a New Jersey dentist. “The regulations are overly onerous. More rules and regulations won’t prevent irresponsible behavior–it will only prevent many competent practitioners from utilizing this modality,” complained a Maryland pediatric dentist. “I think the training provided by DOCS (Dental Organization for Conscious Sedation) is both adequate and excellent. I oppose the new regulations proposed by the ADA,” wrote a Michigan dentist.

Read the full oral conscious sedation survey results.