If you have been avoiding the dentist, or know you require a lot of treatment, or your child has extensive dental needs, my approach and skills as a Certified Specialist may be what you are looking for to regain your health, appearance and comfort, while avoiding the unpleasant feelings, sights and sounds of dental treatment or safeguard your child.

I provide a very wide range of dental treatments (fillings, roots canal treatment, crowns, implants, extractions) for both adults and children while also keeping you comfortable with sedation or general anaesthesia.

About Dentistry Asleep™

Many people are not comfortable having dental treatment with only local anaesthetic. If you are one of those patients you are not alone. Canadian surveys indicate that about a third of all people would prefer to have something more than just freezing to be comfortable during difficult dental procedures.  (Read about how others feel under the tab 'Ask' )

It can be different for you.

You can safely  avoid the discomfort, smells, gagging and other unpleasantness of dental treatments by sleeping through it all.

Dentistry Asleep is a safe, sensible choice if you need extensive treatment; or when freezing is not effective; gagging is a problem; abundant saliva interferes; if you have difficulty keeping your mouth open wide; can’t tolerate a rubber dam; feel anxiety about needles, and many other situations.

Being asleep for dental treatment in my care is milder and easier than a hospital general anaesthetic. Generally you will have fewer medications, and lower doses and no plastic tube placed through your nose or vocal chords. My philosophy is to give the minimum amount of medication that will keep you comfortable and allow for a smooth recovery but still assuring you won't be aware.

Your Part

Eating & Drinking

You must have an empty stomach before going to sleep. It is simplest to not eat food for 8 hours prior to your planned treatment time but you should drink plenty of clear fluid up until 2 hours before the appointment such as water, clear juices, carbonated beverages, or sports drinks such as Gatorade, clear tea or black coffee. No milk within 6 hours.

 Some specific exceptions are possible but these must be strictly maintained.

Minimum fasting requirements are:

8 hours of fasting after a meal that included meat, fried or fatty foods.

6 hours of fasting after a light carbohydrate snack that is not meat and is low in fat. An example would be two crackers or cookies, un-buttered toast with jam or low-fat milk alone or in coffee or tea.

Preparations & Dress

You should continue to take all of your usual prescription drugs according to your normal routine unless otherwise advised by your physician or Dr. Copp. Do not take any herbal supplements the day of your treatment especially kava, ginko or St. John’s Wort and avoid grapefruit juice two days before and day of your appointment.

Wear a short-sleeved garment so that we can place a blood pressure cuff properly on your arm and easily access a vein on your forearm.

Please be prepared to remove heavy eye makeup prior to treatment. We cover and/or tape your eyes closed to protect them and may place a moistening lubricant as well during treatment. We also need nail polish removed from one finger of each hand for accurate oxygen monitoring while you’re asleep.

Changes in Health

Tell us before your appointment if you are pregnant, have had any changes in your general health, especially in ease of breathing or a decrease in exercise tolerance.

Getting Home

You must have a responsible adult to take you home and accompany you after your appointment. Your escort home need not wait in our office while you are being treated, but rather can come for you when you are done. We’re happy to telephone your accompaniment with enough notice to arrive to accompany you, near the end of your treatment to minimize any inconvenience. You need to recover at home with the presence of a friend or relative until you feel normal. This mostly involves simply making sure you rest comfortably and stay away from dangerous situations and locations like stairs, stoves and vehicles.

Treat yourself to some down-time. It is important to plan for a period of at least 18 hours after sedation or anaesthesia when you must not drive a vehicle, operate hazardous machinery, consume alcohol or make important, binding decisions even though most patients feel essentially normal within 8 hours. In rare occasions, when drowsiness or dizziness persists, this time should be extended until you feel normal.

Rare After Effects

More than 95% of patients have no adverse effects at all. The very few that do report such things as an irritation of the vein where their IV was; scratchy eyes due to dryness; prolonged drowsiness; a mild drunk feeling; vagueness of memory for a few hours; nausea or even vomiting. If you experience any of these, or other problems, please call us for specific advise if you feel you need help.