Dental Sedation

Q What is Dental Sedation?
A Dental Sedation is a way for dentists to carry out dental treatment on anxious patients in a relaxed and stress free environment. Sedation medications are administered in order to relax patients so that dental work can be completed without the need for patients to be anxious or fearful of the treatment they will be having. Dental sedation can be used in a number of ways, such as orally and through intravenous sedation. Both sedation techniques allow patients to feel relaxed and in a dream-like state, although patients will remain awake throughout treatment.

Q Why is dental sedation needed?
A Many thousands of patients feel unable to get dental work they severely need because the thought of going to the dentist makes them extremely anxious. This means that many people will not go to the dentist at all, and their oral health can suffer, often severely. This is why the use of dentals sedation is so important and so useful. It gives nervous patients the opportunity to seek the dental treatment they need, whilst they are in a dream-like, very relaxed state. Sedation medication relaxes patients and removes any negative feelings of anxiety and stress during dental work.

Q Is it painful?
A Dental sedation isn’t painful generally, especially using oral sedation. Intravenous sedation means that there will be an injection into the vein but this causes very minimal pain if any at all.

Q What happens during treatment?
A This depends on the form of sedation being used. With IV sedation we will inject the patient using a very small needle into the vein. This induces feelings of relaxation and a sleep-like feeling, although patients remain fully conscious throughout treatment. Oral sedation is used before a patient undergoes dental treatment. This is normally prescribed the night before treatment to be taken before bed, and another to take the next morning. Patients feel drowsy and extremely relaxed. Another sedation method that can be used is Inhalation sedation which contains Nitrous Oxide and oxygen often called ‘laughing gas”. This works very quickly and enables patients to feel happy and relaxed.

Q Who can have sedation?
A Any patient that has anxiety but needs dental treatment, or perhaps has needle phobia would benefit from dental sedation. Many anxious patients have had bad dental experiences in the past, which stops them from having dental treatment, so sedation methods can be of great benefit for such patients. Sedation can also be beneficial for patients that have very sensitive teeth who find it very difficult to undergo dental treatments conventionally. Those suffering from a sensitive gag reflex, or find it difficult to cope with things in their mouths can also find that dental sedation allows them to have dental work that they otherwise may not have being able to deal with.

Dental sedation is also useful for patients who have to undergo lengthy dental work so that they are relaxed over a prolonged period of time. This allows the dentist to work faster and reduce treatment time.

Q What are the main types of sedation?
A There are a numerous different sedation methods but the two main ones are oral and IV sedation. Oral sedation may be more beneficial for patients who suffer with needle phobia as two tablets are taken, one before bed and one in the morning. This means that patients will need someone to look after them before and after treatment, as they may feel drowsy a short time after treatment and driving should not be undertaken initially after sedation.

IV sedation is a drug that is injected into the vein making patients feel very relaxed. Often patients do not remember much of what happened although they remain conscious. IV sedation works very quickly and the dosage can be controlled by your dentist.