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Artisan Dentistry's Blog

Who Invented IV Sedation Dentistry?

Nov 30th, 2022

While Dr. Paul Mathew is a highly regarded sedation dentist in Salem, NH that offers IV sedation dentistry, he’s far from the first dentist in history to offer IV sedation dentistry. To find the first dentist that offered consistently reliable IV sedation you have to go back to the 1940s and a man named Niels Björn Jörgensen.

Growing up at the end of the 1800s Dr. Jörgensen, just like many people of his time, did not have a good experience at the dentist or good dental health. At six he underwent horrible dental pain and when his first permanent molars came in he had to have them removed without local anesthesia. This experience influenced his decision later in life to work towards improving patient experience through sedation dentistry.

Multiple sedation methods were available already by the time Dr. Jörgensen started practicing dentistry in LA in the 1920s but he eventually found their limitations and was determined to find a method that could overcome them. Ether and nitrous oxide were both common methods of achieving sedation or anesthesia since the 1840s but Dr. Jörgensen wanted a sedation method that allowed the patient to remain conscious and maintain important bodily functions like the cough reflex. He also had a strong emphasis on putting patients at ease while at the dentist, whereas previous methods focused on unconsciousness so that patients don’t feel pain or move.

Eventually Dr. Jörgensen settled on a cocktail of substances that, when administered intravenously, worked together to put a patient at ease, made dental treatment painless, and sedated a patient so that treatment would seem to pass quickly. His method had become the standard earning the name “Jörgensen Technique”, though Dr. Jörgensen himself preferred the name “Loma Linda Technique”.

The cocktail of substances has evolved and improved since then but the principles of his technique live on. These days IV sedation dentistry contains a substance whose effects can be easily reversed, in contrast with the substances Dr. Jörgensen used, which cannot. The substances used are also change based on the length of time sedation is needed for.

If you’re someone that’s anxious going to the dentist that lives near Salem, NH you have Dr. Jörgensen to thank for introducing IV sedation to Artisan Dentistry and the world. We’d be glad to welcome you to the practice, don’t hesitate to call or request an appointment online.

Warranty

Our 5 Year Warranty

Anyone can train to be a technician, but few have the talent to become an artist. That’s why Dr. Mathew is able to guarantee his cosmetic dentistry work for a full 5 years. If anything goes wrong with the work, Dr. Mathew will fix it free of charge, as long as you continue with your regular 6 month preventative care cleaning and check up for the duration of the warranty.

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Treatment Rooms

Our individualized treatment rooms and operatories provide patients with maximum privacy and comfort. The treatment rooms were built specifically with your comfort in mind.

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Here at Paul Mathew, D.D.S. we work diligently to protect our patients' privacy. Requesting an appointment via our Internet portal is considered part of what the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has identified as electronically protected healthcare information or ePHI. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, there are people or entities that may attempt to intercept the data you transmit to us. By checking the "I agree" box, and electronically making an appointment request, you acknowledge that you are making an appointment over the internet and that Paul Mathew, D.D.S. will keep this information confidential but cannot guarantee that others, outside of our practice, may illegally intercept this communication. By accepting these terms and conditions and sending this request via our Internet portal, you accept the inherent risk(s) associated with making this request for an appointment. If you do not accept the terms and conditions, you are always welcome to contact our office via telephone to schedule your appointment.

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Here at Paul Mathew, D.D.S. we work diligently to protect our patients' privacy. Requesting an appointment via our Internet portal is considered part of what the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) has identified as electronically protected healthcare information or ePHI. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, there are people or entities that may attempt to intercept the data you transmit to us. By checking the "I agree" box, and electronically making an appointment request, you acknowledge that you are making an appointment over the internet and that Paul Mathew, D.D.S. will keep this information confidential but cannot guarantee that others, outside of our practice, may illegally intercept this communication. By accepting these terms and conditions and sending this request via our Internet portal, you accept the inherent risk(s) associated with making this request for an appointment. If you do not accept the terms and conditions, you are always welcome to contact our office via telephone to schedule your appointment.

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The information presented here is not intended or implied to be medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It should be used for informational purposes only.