Sedation Dentistry You Can Trust In Falls Church and Alexandria
At Northern Virginia Periodontics, we are committed to delivering the highest standard of dental care by prioritizing patient comfort and safety. Our unique partnership with Dr. Teresa Lee Roberts, a board-certified physician anesthesiologist, sets us apart in providing comprehensive, specialized care for patients with complex dental needs.
Why Specialized Sedation Matters
Our approach goes beyond traditional dental sedation by bringing hospital-level anesthesia expertise directly to our office. Key benefits include:
- Dedicated Anesthesia Monitoring: One medical professional fully focused on your sedation and safety
- Tailored Care for Complex Cases: Specialized support for patients with pre-existing conditions
- Hospital-Certified Expertise: Board-certified anesthesiologist with extensive medical experience
- In-Office Convenience: Advanced anesthesia care without hospital transfer
Meet Dr. Teresa L. Roberts
Teresa L. Roberts, MD, FASA is the founder of Oak Hill Anesthesia Services, PLLC, and provides concierge anesthesia services to dental and medical offices.
She is a diplomate of the American Board of Anesthesiology and has Board Certifications in Adult and Pediatric Anesthesiology.
She was recently awarded fellowship designation from the American Society of Anesthesiology (FASA) for her contributions and leadership in the field of Anesthesiology.
Dr. Roberts graduated with Distinction from The George Washington University, School of Medicine in Washington, DC.
She remained at The George Washington University Hospital for her post graduate training, completing an Internship in Internal Medicine and her Residency in Anesthesiology. She was awarded the position of Chief Resident in her final year of her Residency.
She pursued additional training and expertise in pediatrics by completing her Pediatric Anesthesiology fellowship at Children’s National Health Systems (CNHS) in Washington, DC. After graduating she joined the faculty at CNHS and was actively involved in education.
Dr. Roberts has been an invited guest speaker at local and national conferences. She is an active member of the Society for Ambulatory Anesthesia and the Office Based Anesthesia Committee and remains dedicated to education in all settings.
She regularly provides training to colleagues in both medical and dental specialties, mentors high school, university and medical students, and serves as an Oral Board Examiner for the American Board of Anesthesiology.
She is passionate about providing care to all patients, and particularly enjoys caring for children, special needs patients and adults with anxiety and fear related to their care.
Her passions outside of work include spending time with her husband and two daughters, traveling, hiking, and skiing.
Benefits of Sedation Dentistry
- Reduces anxiety during treatment
- Eliminates pain and discomfort
- Suitable for most patients
- Allows for multiple procedures in one visit
- Leaves you with little to no memory of procedure
Sedation Dentistry: Overcoming Dental Anxiety with Personalized Comfort
Sedation dentistry is a specialized approach designed to help patients overcome fear and anxiety during dental procedures. By offering multiple sedation levels, dentists can create a comfortable, stress-free experience tailored to each patient’s unique needs and comfort level.
Local Anesthetic
Local anesthesia is a crucial component of dental procedures, involving the injection of numbing medication into the gum or inner cheek to eliminate pain during treatment. Lidocaine is the most common local anesthetic, typically combined with other medications to extend its effectiveness, with numbing effects lasting several hours. By targeting only the specific area requiring treatment, dentists can perform procedures while patients remain fully conscious, able to respond to prompts and commands, and capable of returning to normal activities immediately after the appointment.
Nitrous Oxide
Nitrous oxide, commonly known as “laughing gas”, is the most widely used sedation method in modern dentistry, employed by over 35% of U.S. dentists. This innovative, colorless, and odorless gas provides patients with a quick and comfortable dental experience, taking effect within 5 minutes to neutralize pain and induce a euphoric, relaxing sensation. Unlike other sedation techniques, nitrous oxide allows dentists to adjust sedation levels in real-time, ensuring patient comfort throughout the procedure. Patients remain conscious and responsive during treatment, and the best part is the rapid recovery—returning to normal within minutes and being able to drive themselves home safely.
Oral Sedation
Our office offers oral sedation dentistry to relieve dental anxiety and to accelerate the appointment time in patient’s minds by the mechanism of subtle amnesia. The night prior to a procedure, and about an hour before the appointment, patients take a small pill that induces drowsiness, arriving at the office calm and relaxed, where they are escorted to a comfortable room and covered with a warm blanket. Throughout the entire dental procedure, our experienced clinical team carefully monitors the patient to ensure their health and safety, and then the patient’s companion takes them home to rest and recover.
General Anesthesia & IV Sedation
At Northern Virginia Periodontics, we provide advanced sedation options from IV sedation to complete general anesthesia to ease any dental anxiety standing in your way of much-needed treatment. Our periodontists are all IV sedation-certified and highly skilled, so with the support of Dr. Teresa Lee Roberts, a board-certified physician and anesthesiologist, we can help our patients overcome moderate to severe dental anxiety. By administering medications directly into the bloodstream, Dr. Roberts can precisely control sedation levels, ensuring optimal patient comfort and safety. During the procedure, advanced monitoring devices track heart rate, blood oxygen levels, blood pressure, and breathing. IV sedation requires patients to arrange transportation, as the lingering effects of the medication prevent safe driving. An adult companion must accompany you to and from your appointment to ensure your safety and comfort during the recovery period.
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