Sedation

Depending on the extent of the anxiety or the difficulty of the procedure being performed, varying degrees of dental sedation can be utilised, including conscious sedation with sedatives, inhalation nitrous oxide sedation, and intravenous (IV) sedation.

These sedation dentistry techniques enable us to help patients who might otherwise avoid the dentist to receive dental treatment necessary for a healthy smile.

There are four types of dental sedation methods used by sedation dentists today:

• Oral sedatives: Oral sedative medications such as Midazolam can be given 30-45 minutes before your dental appointment. Oral sedatives do not provide pain relief, so an injection of local anesthetic will also be administered if required.
• Intravenous (IV) sedation: Like oral sedatives, intravenous (IV) sedation does not provide pain relief, so an injection of local anesthetic will also be administered in conjunction with this method of dental sedation. Similar drugs are used to oral sedatives, but are administered directly to the veins (Intravenously, or ‘I.V’) to enable a faster and more predictable response. The level of sedation can also be more finely controlled with IV sedation compared to Oral Sedation.
• Nitrous Oxide Sedation: In one form of conscious inhalation sedation, nitrous oxide gas (also known as laughing gas) is used to induce a state of relaxation. A local anesthetic will be administered in combination with nitrous oxide sedation to eliminate pain. We do not use Nitrous Oxide sedation as it does not give as deep a state of sedation as other methods, and the equipment needed to deliver the gas involves bulky ‘masks’ which make carrying out the dental treatment itself difficult in many circumstances.
• General Anaesthesia: This method of dental sedation refers to the use of anaesthetic to render the patient unconscious. Unlike other sedation methods, the patient will be completely unaware of his or her surroundings. A General Anaesthetic requires treatment in a hospital setting, and is often used for surgical procedures. We can offer appropriate referrals for this form of sedation if required.