When Dental Sedation Fails: Are You Ready for the Emergency?
Sedation and Anesthesia Education 
Sedation is one of the most powerful tools we have for creating a comfortable dental experience—but even when done correctly, things can go wrong. And when they do, you don’t get extra time to react.
Here are some practical, real-world reminders from Dr. Jarom Heaton on how to stay prepared for sedation emergencies:
1. Emergencies Are Rare, But They Happen Just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean it won’t. Emergencies during dental sedation are uncommon—but when they occur, you have to act fast. There’s no time to look something up or search a drawer. Preparation is everything.
2. Think in Systems: Breathing & Circulation Almost every sedation emergency comes down to one thing: oxygen delivery. Is the patient getting enough air, and is it circulating? Keep your focus here and you’ll respond faster and more effectively.
3. Know Your Tools—Cold Bag-valve mask. Nasal/oral airways. Oxygen tanks. Monitoring devices. Reversal agents. You can’t just own the equipment—you have to be able to use it without hesitation. Practice matters.
4. Laryngospasm Is No Joke Recognize it early. No air movement despite effort? Oxygen dropping? Act fast with positive pressure ventilation and be ready with emergency medications. Don’t delay.
5. Use Checklists and Cognitive Aids Stress affects recall. Cognitive aids like the Stanford Emergency Manual or “Ten Minutes Saves a Life” app are simple tools that help you execute under pressure. Keep them accessible in your op.
6. Team Communication Saves Lives Emergency roles should be defined before an incident happens. Use closed-loop communication. Assign leadership clearly. Just like a flight crew, everyone needs to know their role when it counts.
7. Practice for It Like It’s Real You don’t rise to the occasion—you fall to the level of your training. Run drills. Refresh your team. Know your protocol cold. Real emergency readiness only comes from repetition.
Want practical, hands-on training in how to manage these situations?
Dr. Heaton covers it in detail in our Sedation and Anesthesia Emergencies: Preparedness & Equipment course.
More resources and CE courses at www.isedatesafe.com