Dr. Sutera is one of the only multidisciplinary dentists in Greater Boston board certified in IV sedation by the Massachusetts Dental Board. Patients who have avoided the dentist for years finish their treatment here, often in one or two visits.
First visit $432 · One hour · You leave with a written plan
Aesthetic Smile Reconstruction, the Waltham, MA practice of Dr. Charles Sutera, DMD, FAGD, provides all three levels of dental sedation to patients across Greater Boston. Dr. Sutera is one of the only multidisciplinary dentists in Greater Boston board certified in IV sedation by the Massachusetts Dental Board. The office sits at 75 3rd Ave in Waltham, adjacent to The Westin Waltham Boston, minutes from Newton, Wellesley, and Lexington.
Medically reviewed by Dr. Charles Sutera, DMD, FAGD · Last updated July 16, 2026
Most of the sedation patients who walk through this door share one thing: dentistry got hard somewhere along the way, and it stayed hard. Whether you would call it dental anxiety, full dental phobia, or just years of putting it off, one of these is probably yours.
Plenty of our patients have, more than once. So before your first visit, we talk everything through: what will happen, in what order, and how you stay in control. By the time you arrive, nothing about the appointment is a surprise.
One visit where things went wrong can outweigh twenty routine ones. Tell us what happened and what would help. Every good experience here makes that memory smaller, and trust rebuilds the same way it broke: one visit at a time.
No judgment here, and no lectures. We have rebuilt some of the most damaged mouths in Greater Boston, so your starting point will not shock anyone. Whatever your past looks like, the plan is about what comes next.
Dental anxiety runs on the feeling of being trapped. So the visit is structured to remove that feeling at every level of sedation, starting before any medication is involved.
Raise a hand and the work stops. Ask, and the appointment ends and continues another day. That agreement is made out loud before anything begins, and it holds for the entire visit.
A spouse, a parent, a friend. They sit with you through the consultation, and for most procedures they can stay in the room. You decide who is there.
The first visit ends with a written plan, not a scheduled procedure. Some patients book that afternoon. Some call back three months later. Both are normal here.
Sleep dentistry is not one thing. It is a spectrum, and the consultation exists to find your point on it. Every option includes full local anesthetic, so pain is off the table at every level.
Laughing gas takes the edge off within minutes and clears within minutes of the mask coming off. You stay in complete control, then drive yourself home. No fasting, no escort.
A prescribed medication before the visit. You remain awake and responsive, and most patients remember almost none of the appointment. Requires a 6-hour fast and a driver.
Medication titrated minute to minute, the same approach used for a routine colonoscopy. You breathe on your own, monitored continuously, and years of postponed treatment can be completed in one or two visits.
| Side by side | Nitrous Oxide | Oral Sedation | IV Sedation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Awareness | Calm, fully alert | Awake but deeply relaxed | Sleep-like rest |
| Memory of the visit | Complete | Little to none | Usually none |
| Takes effect | Within minutes | About an hour after the pill | Within minutes, adjusted continuously |
| Afterward | Drive yourself home; clears in minutes | Driver required; rest for the day | Driver required; rest for the day |
| Fasting | None | 6 hours | 6 hours |
| Best suited for | Mild anxiety, routine visits | Moderate anxiety, longer visits | Severe anxiety, dental phobia, years of treatment completed in 1–2 visits |
| Starting cost | $168 / visit | $550 / visit | $2,100 / visit |
Four steps, no surprises. Every sedation case follows the same sequence, and every level includes full local anesthetic, so pain is handled separately from anxiety.
One hour, seated upright, no instruments out. Your history, your concerns, a full exam, and a written plan with real numbers. $432, and many insurance plans cover a meaningful portion.
For oral or IV sedation: no food or drink for 6 hours, and a driver arranged for the trip home. For nitrous oxide: nothing at all. Medications and health history are reviewed before anything is scheduled.
Sedation is delivered and adjusted to your comfort. You breathe on your own the entire time, monitored continuously with pulse oximetry and capnography, with local anesthetic keeping the work itself painless.
Nitrous clears within minutes and you drive yourself home. After oral or IV sedation, your driver takes you home and you rest for the remainder of the day. Most patients remember little to none of the appointment.
Want the full clinical detail on every option? The complete guide lives on our main practice site: sedation dentistry at Aesthetic Smile Reconstruction.
Sedation is the last mile of a broader discipline. These are the specific certifications and training behind every case.
Certified by the Massachusetts Dental Board to deliver moderate parenteral sedation. Many offices stop at minimal or oral options. Dr. Sutera delivers every form of sleep dentistry: inhalational, oral, and IV.
An intensive hospital curriculum in dental IV sedation: patient evaluation, pharmacology and physiology of IV agents, management of complications, dental anxiety, and physiological pain control.
One of the only general dentists in Greater Boston to complete advanced sedation training with one-on-one mentorship, covering airway management, emergency response, and advanced techniques for patient comfort and safety.
Fellowship in the Academy of General Dentistry, awarded to fewer than 7 percent of dentists, covering cosmetic, TMJ, reconstructive, and sedation dentistry.
Direct mentorship under Dr. Jeffrey Okeson of the University of Kentucky and Dr. Robert Kerstein of Tufts, two founders of modern TMJ treatment.
Advanced training across the full spectrum of general, cosmetic, TMJ, and reconstructive dentistry, so sedation cases of any complexity stay in one pair of hands.
Thousands of sedation cases completed, monitored continuously on every one.
The practice sits at 75 3rd Ave in Waltham, adjacent to The Westin Waltham Boston, 15 minutes or less from most of the towns our sedation patients come from. Traveling from further out or from out of state? We are happy to help with arrangements.
Tap a town for approximate drive time. Tap the gold pin for the address and directions.
“Sleep dentistry changed my life.”
“This is the best dentist near me.”
“As a very anxious dental patient I was pleased to be seen by a dentist that can provide sedation options.”
“I’ve always been hesitant to go to the dentist and have tons of anxiety about it. Dr. Sutera was patient, listened, and put my comfort first.”
“Love going to the dentist now.”
“Dr. Sutera is one of the most caring and nicest doctors I’ve ever been to.”
“I felt my problem was solved the moment I entered that door.”
“They made me so comfortable.”
“Such an amazing experience, already started recommending friends and family. Dr. Sutera went above and beyond and made sure I was okay throughout the whole visit.”
“The office was easily the nicest dental office I have visited. The staff was professional and welcoming.”
“I had a really wonderful experience here. The staff cares deeply about their patients and I would return in a heartbeat.”
The first visit is $432 and takes about an hour: your history, your concerns, a full exam, and a written plan with real numbers. Sedation options are discussed openly, without pressure, seated upright.