Mild and Moderate Sedation

If you need a simple outpatient procedure, we often use mild or moderate sedation and local anesthesia

When you need a simple procedure such as a biopsy or an MRI, our doctors will usually suggest mild or moderate sedation. Sometimes, that sedation is done in combination with local anesthesia.

For in-office procedures, such as the removal of a mole, mild sedation helps you relax. Because all doctors are educated in delivering this type of gentle medication, you will not need an anesthesiologist. The medicine can be given orally, through an intravenous (IV) needle, or an injection.

If you need an outpatient procedure such as a biopsy, your doctor may suggest moderate sedation to bring you into a semiconscious state and help relieve anxiety. Dentists often use this form of anesthesia, which causes a loss of feeling in the body without affecting your ability to breathe and respond. Either an anesthesiologist or a specially educated doctor will administer the medication through an intravenous (IV) needle. Today, moderate sedation is also used for diagnostic procedures such as an MRI or colonoscopy.

Local anesthesia is an injection of medicine that deadens nerve impulses in one targeted area. Rarely is it used alone—it is most often used in combination with mild or moderate sedation.

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