Ozempic and Dental Sedation: What to Know Before Your Visit

If you take Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, Zepbound or another GLP-1 medicine, tell your dentist as soon as sedation is mentioned, and do not stop the medicine on your own. These drugs slow how fast your stomach empties, so food can still be there even after the usual fasting time. Under sedation that raises the risk of stomach contents being breathed into the lungs. Since late 2024, joint guidance led by the American Society of Anesthesiologists says most people can keep taking these medicines before a procedure, but people at higher risk may need a 24-hour liquid diet, a change of plan or a later date. At Shield Dental Care, Dr. Pejman Ghorbani reviews every medicine before recommending a sedation option.

Which medicines this applies to

GLP-1 receptor agonists, and the newer medicines that act on GLP-1 and a second hormone (GIP), are prescribed for type 2 diabetes and weight loss. Common brand names include:

• Semaglutide: Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus (a daily tablet).
• Tirzepatide: Mounjaro and Zepbound.
• Liraglutide: Victoza and Saxenda.
• Dulaglutide: Trulicity.

Compounded semaglutide or tirzepatide from a med spa or online clinic counts too. So does a medicine you have recently stopped, because some of these drugs stay in the body for days to weeks. If you are not sure whether something you take belongs on this list, bring the box or pen to your consultation.

Why it matters for sedation

Fasting before sedation exists for one reason. Sedative medicines relax the reflexes that normally stop food or liquid in the stomach from going back up and into the airway. An empty stomach makes that much less likely. GLP-1 medicines deliberately slow stomach emptying, which is part of how they reduce appetite. That means the usual fasting times may not leave the stomach empty. Anesthesiologists began reporting cases of food found in the stomachs of fasted patients taking these drugs, which led to the guidance below.

What the current guidance says

2023: hold the medicine

In June 2023 the American Society of Anesthesiologists advised holding GLP-1 medicines before elective procedures: on the day for daily doses, and a week ahead for weekly injections. It acknowledged the evidence was limited.

2024: most people continue, higher-risk patients get a plan

In October 2024, the ASA and four other societies (in gastroenterology, bariatric surgery, endoscopic surgery and perioperative care of patients with obesity) issued joint guidance that replaced the blanket hold. Its main points:

• Most patients can keep taking their GLP-1 medicine before elective procedures.
• Risk is higher when you are in the escalation phase (just starting or recently increasing the dose), on a higher dose or weekly dosing, or have stomach symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, bloating, abdominal pain or constipation.
• Higher-risk patients may be asked to follow a liquid-only diet for 24 hours before the procedure, in addition to the usual fasting.
• If you have stomach symptoms on the day, elective treatment should usually wait until they settle.
• If the medicine has to be held (for example in someone taking it for diabetes), that decision is made with the prescribing doctor, so blood sugar stays controlled.

2025: the ADA sedation guidelines

The American Dental Association’s updated Guidelines for the Use of Sedation and General Anesthesia by Dentists (adopted October 2025) use the ASA fasting times and state that they should be modified for patients taking medicines that delay stomach emptying, naming GLP-1 agonists specifically. In other words, your dentist should not simply apply the standard fasting sheet if you take one of these medicines.

What your dentist will ask

• Which medicine, what dose, and whether it is daily, weekly or a tablet.
• When you started it, and when the dose last went up.
• Why you take it: diabetes, weight loss or both.
• Whether you have nausea, vomiting, reflux, bloating, stomach pain or constipation now.
• Whether you have any other condition that slows the stomach, such as gastroparesis or long-standing diabetes.

How the plan might change

Depending on your answers and the treatment planned, your dentist may:

• go ahead as planned with standard fasting instructions;
• ask you to follow a clear-liquid diet for the 24 hours before your appointment;
• schedule treatment for a time when you are on a steady dose rather than just after an increase;
• suggest a different level of sedation, or treatment with local anesthetic alone;
• postpone elective treatment if you have stomach symptoms that day;
• coordinate with your physician if the medicine needs to be adjusted.

Never stop or skip a dose on your own to “be safe”. Stopping can affect blood sugar, appetite and weight, and restarting may mean going back through the side effects of the escalation phase. Let your dentist and prescriber decide together.

What you should do

• Mention it at the first conversation about sedation, not on the morning of treatment, so there is time to plan.
• Follow the written fasting instructions you are given exactly. If they include a liquid diet, that means clear liquids only.
• Call the office before your appointment if you have nausea, vomiting or stomach pain, or if your dose changes between booking and the visit.
• Bring a full medicine list, including supplements and anything compounded.

Our guide to preparing for sedation covers the rest of the checklist, and is dental sedation safe? explains the general safety picture.

What about dental work without sedation?

For a routine cleaning, a filling or other work with local anesthetic only, you generally do not need to fast, so GLP-1 medicines usually do not change the plan. Still list them at every visit. If they cause nausea or vomiting, stomach acid can wear tooth enamel, and your dentist may suggest ways to protect it. If you would like a little help relaxing for a routine visit, see sedation for a dental cleaning.

Sedation at Shield Dental Care

Shield Dental Care in Burke offers nitrous oxide, oral sedation and IV sedation. Before recommending any of them, Dr. Ghorbani reviews your health history and every medicine you take, including GLP-1 medicines, and gives you written instructions for the days before your visit. With oral or IV sedation you will need a companion to drive you home.

If you take one of these medicines and are considering sedation, tell us when you book. Learn more on our sedation dentist page or call (703) 250-5072.