Oral Sedation

At Your Dental Care we have sedation techniques which work in conjunction with other dental procedures to ensure patients do not feel any pain or anxiety during their visits.

What help is there?

Often people who are fearful of the dentist will simply not go for check-ups or have any dental work carried out. However, sedation methods can help with this problem so that fearful patients are able to undergo treatment without anxiety. Our dentists are well aware of dental anxiety and sympathetic to help this matter.

What is sedation?

We have IV or intravenous sedation at the clinic. This is given by injection into the top of the hand or in the arm. Dose levels will be dependent on how the treatment needed and how long the process will be.

How will I feel during treatment with sedation?

You will feel like you are in a haze and oblivious to the procedure that is occurring, but communication between yourself and the dentist will still be possible. After treatment it normally takes a little time to recover from these feelings, but your dentist will give you a clearer idea of how long the effects will last. Alcohol, driving and working with machinery should be avoided during this period of recovery.

What other treatments help with my fear?

We also offer treatment to increase relaxation in the form of ‘relative analgesia’ or inhalation sedation. You will inhale a mix of nitrous oxide and oxygen (known as ‘laughing gas’) leaving you feeling happy and calm. The dentist will be on hand to provide support and care. You will remain conscious but you will not feel any pain during treatment, instead feeling hazy and relaxed. The gases are administered using a nosepiece. It is not possible to have too much of the gas as once you start to breathe normal air it is released from the body. There will be no side-effects and you will feel like normal shortly after treatment. Inhalation sedation is popular choice for many dentists as it is easy to use and effective.

How does relaxation help?

If you are dealing with something that you are fearful or anxious about, such as going for dental a check-up, you will create chemicals internally which increase anxiety. It is possible to take control of our bodies and fight against this fear using relaxing techniques. Feelings of fear and relaxation do not go together so by learning to relax we can inhibit anxiety levels.