If the dentist has never been your favorite place, you are in good company — and at Kentfield Dental, that is exactly the patient we love to help. Dr. Soroush Ghaffarpour ("Dr. G") offers several levels of sedation, from light laughing gas to deeper IV sedation, so nervous patients across Kentfield and greater Marin can finally get the care they have been putting off — comfortably, and without the dread. Paired with our calm, comfort-first office and the latest monitoring technology, sedation can turn a visit you have been avoiding into one that is genuinely easy to get through.
What is sedation dentistry?
Sedation dentistry simply means using safe, controlled medication to help you relax during dental treatment. It is not one single thing — it is a range of options, from a light, breezy calm to a deeper, dreamy state, matched to how anxious you feel and how involved your treatment is. The goal is always the same: a comfortable, low-stress visit where the care gets done and you feel at ease the whole time.
At our Kentfield office we offer three levels. Nitrous oxide — “laughing gas” — is the lightest: you breathe it through a small nose mask, feel a pleasant, floaty calm within minutes, and it wears off quickly, so most patients drive themselves home afterward. Oral conscious sedation is a step deeper: you take a prescribed pill before your appointment, which leaves you very relaxed and drowsy though still awake and responsive. IV sedation is the deepest option, delivered through a vein for a profound, comfortable calm — many patients remember little of the visit afterward — and it is well suited to longer or more complex treatment, or to significant dental anxiety.
Sedation also helps with more than just nerves. It can be a real relief if you have a strong gag reflex, if you tend to be hard to get fully numb, if you struggle to sit still or keep your mouth open for long stretches, or if you simply want to combine several procedures into one efficient visit instead of many. Whichever option fits, Dr. G will explain it clearly and recommend only the gentlest level that can make your care comfortable.
How we approach comfort & sedation at Kentfield Dental
Comfort is not an add-on here — it is built into the whole experience. Before we ever talk about sedation, we want to know what makes the dentist hard for you, whether that is past pain, the sounds, the loss of control, or something you would rather not name. Dr. G is known for a calm, unhurried, reassuring chairside manner, takes the time to listen, and is happy to explain everything (in English or Spanish) so the unknown feels a lot less scary.
Safety guides every sedation choice. With oral and IV sedation we monitor your vital signs continuously throughout the appointment — oxygen, heart rate, and more — so a trained team is watching over you the entire time. We review your health history first, recommend the lightest effective level of sedation, and give you clear before-and-after instructions, including arranging a ride home for the deeper options. It is the conservative, careful philosophy that has defined this Kentfield practice for decades — carried forward from Dr. John Herschleb's legacy by Dr. G — simply applied to your peace of mind.
The room itself is designed to soothe. Quiet A-dec electric handpieces replace the high-pitched whine most people dread, ceiling-mounted monitors let you watch something relaxing while you recline, and noise-cancelling headphones can take you out of the moment entirely. Add our fully digital, all-in-house workflow — same-day CEREC crowns, Formlabs in-house 3D printing, and low-dose Vatech Green X12 CBCT imaging — and we can often combine treatment into fewer, smoother visits, which is exactly what an anxious patient wants to hear.
- Three levels of sedation in-house — nitrous oxide (laughing gas), oral conscious sedation, and IV sedation — matched to your comfort and the treatment
- Continuous vital-signs monitoring during oral and IV sedation, with a trained team watching over you the entire visit
- Quiet A-dec dental chairs with smooth, low-noise electric handpieces instead of the high-pitched drill sound
- Ceiling-mounted monitors and noise-cancelling headphones so you can relax, watch, or tune out during treatment
- Fully digital, all-in-house care — CEREC same-day crowns, Formlabs 3D printing, low-dose Vatech CBCT — to combine work into fewer visits
- Dr. G is Spanish-speaking and known for a calm, reassuring manner with even the most anxious patients
Why patients choose us for this
Real relief from dental anxiety
Sedation can quiet the nerves that have kept you away from the dentist, so you can finally get the care you need feeling calm and at ease rather than on edge.
More care in fewer visits
Feeling relaxed makes it easier to combine several procedures into one longer appointment — a real plus with our same-day, in-house workflow if you would rather not keep coming back.
Help for a strong gag reflex
If a strong gag reflex makes dental work difficult, sedation can calm that response so treatment is often far more comfortable and easier to complete well.
Easier to relax when numb is hard
Some people are simply hard to get fully numb. Sedation can help you relax through treatment and is often paired with thorough local anesthetic for a smoother experience.
Levels matched to you
From light laughing gas to deeper IV sedation, we choose the gentlest option that fits your anxiety and your treatment — never more sedation than you actually need.
Safety you can feel good about
With oral and IV sedation we monitor your vital signs continuously, review your health first, and give clear instructions, so you can relax knowing you are well cared for.
What to expect
Talk it through and review your health
Dr. G listens to what makes the dentist hard for you, reviews your medical history and medications, and explains your sedation options clearly — in English or Spanish — so you know exactly what to expect.
Relaxed, monitored treatment
We settle you in with the sedation that fits — nitrous, oral, or IV — plus thorough numbing for comfort. With oral and IV sedation we monitor your vitals continuously while you relax, often with headphones and a ceiling monitor.
Aftercare and a safe ride home
Nitrous wears off quickly, so most patients drive themselves home; for oral and IV sedation you will need a ride, which we help you arrange. We give you clear written aftercare and check in on how you are doing.
Your comfort matters. Sedation is offered in three gentle levels — nitrous oxide, oral, and IV with continuous vitals monitoring — alongside quiet electric handpieces, ceiling monitors, and noise-cancelling headphones; Dr. G is known for a calm, reassuring manner and is Spanish-speaking.
Is sedation dentistry right for you?
Sedation is a wonderful option for many Marin patients — but the right choice always depends on you, your health history, and the treatment you need. During a visit to our Kentfield office, Dr. G will listen to your concerns, review your medical history, and recommend the lightest level of sedation that can make your care genuinely comfortable. Some people do beautifully with just laughing gas; others are better served by oral or IV sedation. We will talk it through honestly and never push you toward more than you need.
- You feel anxious, nervous, or fearful about dental visits and have been putting off care
- You have a strong gag reflex that makes treatment difficult
- You tend to be hard to get fully numb with local anesthetic alone
- You have a longer or more complex treatment, or want to combine several procedures into one visit
- You have trouble sitting still or keeping your mouth open comfortably for long appointments
Frequently asked questions
It depends on the level you choose. Nitrous oxide and oral sedation keep you awake but deeply relaxed and responsive, while IV sedation produces a much deeper calm where many patients remember little of the visit. Dr. G will help you pick the level that fits your anxiety and your treatment.
Yes — sedation is very safe when it is carefully managed, which is exactly how we approach it. We review your health history first, recommend the lightest effective option, and with oral and IV sedation we monitor your vital signs continuously throughout the appointment so a trained team is watching over you the whole time.
We offer three levels in-house: nitrous oxide (laughing gas), oral conscious sedation, and IV sedation with continuous vitals monitoring. That range lets us match the gentlest effective option to how anxious you feel and how involved your treatment is, all in our Kentfield office.
Yes — sedation can calm an overactive gag reflex that makes dental work difficult. By helping your body relax, it often makes treatment far more comfortable and easier to complete, and we can pair it with other comfort measures during your visit.
With nitrous oxide, yes — it wears off quickly, so most patients drive themselves home. After oral conscious sedation or IV sedation you will need a responsible adult to drive you, and we will go over this clearly beforehand and help you plan for it.
Yes — Kentfield Dental offers sedation and comfort dentistry at 1100 Sir Francis Drake Blvd, Suite 1 in Kentfield, serving patients across Marin including Greenbrae, Larkspur, Ross, San Anselmo, Mill Valley, Tiburon, and San Rafael. Call or text (415) 456-5402 to talk through your options.