75% of the dentists surveyed offer sedation dentistry.
“Sedation dentistry helps so many people. Most stop using it after three visits or so due to a significant lessening of their anxiety,” responded one prosthodontist to the latest The Wealthy Dentist survey that asked dentists if they offer dental sedation.
“Sedation is not the be-all, end-all,” advised one dentist.
The respondents to this survey reflected the following charges for sedation services —
- Oral Conscious Sedation $320.00
- IV Sedation $3,000.00
- Nitrous Oxide $155.00
- Pediatric Sedation $400.00
The highest charge for oral conscious sedation was $680.00 by a suburban dentist, and the lowest cost for IV sedation was $225.00 by a Georgia dentist.
Nitrous oxide and pediatric sedation costs seemed to stay within $25.00 – $50.00 throughout the U.S.
Here are some comments from dentists who responded to this survey —
“It is great combination with CEREC users. One appointment dentistry while sedated.” (General dentist)
“There is a strong pain-in-the-butt factor associated with this service. Don’t get sucked into it.” (Massachusetts dentist)
“I’ve been sedating for 30 years.” (California dentist)
“I am a dentist anesthesiologist. I charge an hourly fee. I am perfectly fine with my client doctors doing oral sedation with proper training. I think it is important that they have someone like me to check with if they have a question or concern.” (Washington dentist anesthesiologist)
“Having well-trained providers of dental sedation is a key to our success as a profession. As long as there are dentists who believe in papoosing, there will be those who have fears. Funny, an ENT would never papoose a child for ear tubes. Why do we think it’s acceptable for dental treatment?” (Pediatric dentist)
If you are a doctor who offers sedation dentistry to your patients, it’s important to market this fact to potential patients. It can help bring new patients into your dental practice.
