Anyway, we found someone who does IV sedation dentistry, and P jumped on it! So yesterday was the big day. We arrived five minutes early, had to wait about 10 minutes, then called him in to the operating room. They took his blood pressure, and taped some electrodes (?) to his chest to monitor his heart and breathing. P says he felt reassured by that because he knew they were going to be keeping a close eye on him.
Next, the dentist wheeled in a bag of IV (like you see on tv), asked P to relax, put a rubber tube around his arm and had him clench his fist. The dentist sprayed some freezing stuff on the arm and told P this is going to feel a little chilly. Then there was a little stick, then the dentist started chatting, and P remembers nothing after that.
The whole procedure took about 40 minutes, including removal of the tooth and placement of bone graft material. The dentist numbed the area around the tooth, so that when P woke up he didn't feel any pain there.
I was called in after the procedure was over, and I have to admit, P was pretty funny, he was verrry out of it and kind of dazed for a good hour afterwards. (He remembers nothing of the ride home.)
The total cost of this appointment was $901.00 (yes, I asked what the $1 was for, but the receptionist looked at me blankly!!). Not sure how it breaks down, but I know that more than 50% of that was for the sedation itself.
But it's something he totally recommends to anyone who's about to undergo a procedure that worries them!!
Oh, and the dentist sent him home WITH the extracted tooth (in 3 pieces) and you should have seen the cavity! Omigod! It was like a bullet hole. I can't believe P lived with that thing in his mouth as long as he did. We're so glad it's out now!!
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