General Dentistry

Sedation

Same day appointments available 

Duration

60mins

Appointments

1

Anaesthetic

No

What is Sedation ?

Conscious sedation is the process of relieving the anxiety associated with dental treatment through the provision of safe and effective drugs whilst remaining fully conscious. This results in you, the patient, being more comfortable during dental treatment with the additional benefit of reducing pain. 

Conscious sedation is the perfect choice for patients who are anxious or have phobias of the dentist. Any dental procedure can be carried out under conscious sedation and it can benefit people with a severe gag reflex, anxiety and dental phobia.

The aims of sedation are to:

  • minimise recovery time, discomfort and anxiety; and
  • maximise cost effectiveness, safety and comfort.

What is it?

IV sedation allows you to be more comfortable, relaxed and less anxious during dental treatment. In addition your pain threshold is much higher enabling you to tolerate dental treatment much more readily than before. The medications used results in you becoming relaxed, drowsy and even sleepy. Furthermore, the vast majority of patients have little or no memory of the dental procedure. Whilst you are very drowsy, verbal communication is still possible.

Is it safe?

The procedure will only ever be carried out by a highly skilled clinician who is very experienced and doesn’t leave your side. Furthermore, the highly advanced equipment used is constantly monitoring your vital signs such as heart rate, oxygen and blood pressure. The biggest benefit is the recovery time, which is minimal compared to a general anaesthetic.

THE BENEFITS OF SEDATION

  1. Relieves anxiety and improves co-operation between patient and dentist
  2. Avoids the need for a general anaesthetic for treatment
  3. This avoids having to take time off work due to hospital admission
  4. Safer than a general anaesthetic due to the drugs being much less strong

Intravenous (IV) sedation is the most common form of conscious sedation. It involves placing a small needle into a vein in your arm or hand to deliver the necessary sedative medications. This will result in an altered state of consciousness, thus enabling the required dental treatment to be carried out whilst sedated.

During the sedation you will be relaxed, calm, drowsy and vaguely aware of your surroundings. In addition, your pain threshold will be significantly increased and therefore you should not feel any pain or anxiety throughout the duration of the dental procedure. However, you will still be able to maintain verbal communication with the seditionist and will find (in the vast majority of patients) that you have little or no recollection of the procedure.