Published September 2026

Who usually does it

oral surgeon. Common in oral surgery offices; some general and pediatric dentists are licensed for it.

One question worth asking

Who watches me during this, and how long until I can go home?

Sedation by pill or other non-IV route

Sedation and comfortNot usually coveredD9248

D9248. A sedative taken by mouth or nose before treatment.

Medicine that makes you drowsy and relaxed during treatment, given as a pill or through an IV line. You are awake but may remember little. Someone has to drive you home. IV sedation is billed in fifteen minute blocks.

A pill taken beforehand, or medicine through a drip in the arm, leaves you drowsy and relaxed and often with little memory of the visit. Breathing carries on by itself and you can still answer, but someone has to drive you home. Drip sedation is billed in fifteen minute blocks, so a longer surgery is more lines than a short one. Most plans file this as Major. What they actually pay varies by plan.

Sedation by pill or other non-IV route (D9248): what happens, step by step | TruthMolar