Dental anxiety or fear
If fear has delayed exams or treatment, sleep dentistry can make it possible to complete needed care in an outpatient visit.
For patients & families
Go to sleep for dental treatment in an outpatient suite.
Some people cannot sit through dentistry awake. This clinic exists so that care can still happen—without defaulting to a hospital operating room.
Two options, in plain language
IV sedation and general anesthesia are not the same thing.
To the person in the chair, both can feel like “I went to sleep and then it was over.” The difference is how the airway is managed, and which is chosen depends on health history, the procedure, and how long it will take.
| IV sedation | General anesthesia |
|---|---|
| Medicine is given through an IV. You go to sleep while still breathing on your own. | You are completely unconscious. You are not breathing on your own; a machine manages the airway. |
| Used when it is appropriate for your health and the length of the visit. | Used for some patients and some cases where full airway management is the safer plan. |
| A board-certified anesthesiologist decides which is appropriate after reviewing medical history. Neither option is chosen from a menu at the front desk. | |
Who this helps
When being awake is not a reasonable plan.
Special needs, including autism spectrum
Some patients need to be sedated for their safety in order to complete an exam or treatment. This suite is meant to make that more accessible than a hospital OR.
Treatment that is hard to sit through
Longer or more involved dentistry may be planned under IV sedation or general anesthesia when that is the safer, more humane option.
Appointment flow
What a visit looks like
Call to schedule
(703) 451-4500 · If you already have a dentist you want to keep, ask them to call us about using the suite.
Medical-history screening
The anesthesiologist reviews your medical history, checks that this outpatient setting is appropriate, and confirms the anesthesia plan.
You are put to sleep
Dr. Davis administers IV sedation or general anesthesia in the suite.
Dentistry, then wake-up
If you are a Dulac Dental patient, Dr. Jason W. Dulac, DDS, does the dentistry. If you came with your own dentist, that dentist does the dentistry. Then you are woken up.
Questions before you book
Call the office. Do not guess about medical fitness or cost from this page.
Insurance coverage, fees, and whether a given health history belongs in an outpatient suite are case-specific. The honest next step is a conversation.