As an authorized non-hospital general anesthesia facility, Driftwood Dental is proud to offer dentistry with a full suite of dental sedation options, including General Anesthesia, IV Sedation, Oral Sedation and Nitrous Oxide.
Dr. John McGaw is registered with the CDSBC to provide multiple drug IV sedation for dentistry. As part of his registration, he has many years of special emergency medical training for Advanced Cardiac Life Support and Pediatric Advanced Life Support.
All of our Dentists have certification in Pediatric Advanced Life Support. All Referrals are returned.
Intravenous Sedation
Dr. McGaw is registered with the CDSBC to administer relaxant drugs intravenously. He has been providing IV Sedation to many nervous patients for the past 20+ years.
Dr. McGaw and our Registered Nurse continuously monitor your blood pressure, pulse, oxygen saturation, EtCO2 and respiratory rates to ensure that you’re reacting normally throughout your procedure.
While sedated, you’re able to respond to verbal commands but are so relaxed that it’s unlikely that you will experience pain, discomfort or anxiety. A local anesthetic is also used to ensure your comfort.
Oral Sedation
Oral sedation is a prescribed pill that helps you to relax during your procedure. Soon after taking oral sedation, you will start to feel calm and more relaxed. It can cause you to feel drowsy, so we ask that you arrange for someone to drive you home after your appointment.
Nitrous Oxide
Nitrous Oxide, otherwise known as "laughing gas," is inhaled through a mask that is placed over your nose and helps you relax. Your dentist can control the amount of sedation you receive, and the effects of the gas tend to wear off quickly.
This is the only form of sedation where you may be able to drive yourself home after the procedure safely — ask your dentist for advice.
General Anesthesia
Sedation for Dentistry includes General Anesthesia (GA). Our facility is authorized by the College of Dental Surgeons of BC (CDSBC) to provide GA for dental appointments for healthy patients age 3+.
We ask that you contact our office to schedule a GA consultation as GA appointments involve decisions that include our Physician / Anesthesiologist, Dentist / Dental Specialist and our Treatment Coordinator.
General Anesthesia FAQ
Here are a few frequently asked questions for you to consider when seeking General Anesthesia in a non-hospital facility.
Before any procedure requiring General Anesthesia, our Anesthesiologist will review your medical history to ensure that you are a candidate for non-hospital General Anesthesia.