Alleviate anxiety with dental sedation
Enjoy anxiety-free dentistry with our gentle dentists and various forms of dental sedation. These include “happy gas” and oral sedation for general dentistry, and intravenous sedation (also known as sleep dentistry) for surgical procedures.
Assured Comfort with Sedation Dentistry
Providing a comfortable, safe and welcoming environment for everyone, our dentists understand that some patients may benefit from sedation dentistry to alleviate anxiety or sensory overload. From general dentistry to dental surgery, dental sedation can provide a safe and comfortable experience for you.
Reasons You May Benefits from Dental Sedation
- Multiple dental procedures at once
- Sensitive teeth
- Fear of injections
- Dislike the sound and sensation of drilling
- Prone to gagging
Talk About your Feelings of Dental Fear
If you experience dental fear you are not alone. About 36% of the population experience dental fear and around 12% have extreme dental phobia. Whatever you may experience from a mild feeling of nervousness about a big procedure to deeply felt dental phobia about even a small procedure, we are here to provide comfort and assurance to you. Feeling prepared and understanding what will happen during a procedure can go a long way to helping you feel more at ease. Modern dental techniques have advanced to alleviate pain from any dental procedure. Our gentle dental care has transformed many patients who have previously experienced dental phobia.
Our dental practice is situated at 377 Mt Albert Rd, Mt Roskill. If you would like to talk to our team please feel free to email Michael or contact us.
Dental Sedation
Sedation dentistry uses medication to help patients relax during dental procedures. It’s sometimes referred to as “sleep dentistry,” although that’s not entirely accurate as it does not put you to sleep. There are three sedation techniques you can choose from, nitrous oxide (also known as laughing gas), oral sedation, or intravenous sedation. The sedative will help you relax while blocking the pain. Nitrous oxide and oral sedation is appropriate for patients undergoing regular dental procedures and intravenous sedation is appropriate for patients undergoing surgical procedures.
Sedation Dentistry Options
Nitrous Oxide
More commonly known as laughing gas, nitrous oxide is a great choice for adults and children when undergoing general dental procedures. The colourless and odourless gas that you inhale through a mask will put you in a dreamlike state and may make you giggle. You will feel comfortable and relaxed throughout the procedure. Once the procedure is complete, the dentist will administer oxygen to remove the gas from your system and you will be safe to drive away from the practice. This process can help to reduce a child’s fear of dentistry.
Oral Sedation
Oral sedation is a great option for patients with mild to moderate dental fear or anxiety. This medication will be administered orally half an hour before treatment. You will soon feel very relaxed and possibly sleepy. Throughout the procedure you will experience a general sense of detachment from what is going on. You remain conscious during the procedure and therefore do not lose vital protective reflexes such as the ability to cough. You may experience painless pressure, tugging, or pulling during the procedure, but these sensations won’t bother you. The dentist can use a local anaesthetic that numbs the affected area to assist with pain relief. You are likely to have little or no recollection of having had the treatment after the procedure. If this type of sedation dentistry is the right choice for you, please remember to have someone drive you to and from your dental appointment.
Intravenous Sedation
Intravenous sedation is the strongest form of sedation available within a dental practice. It is a modern, safe technique that makes treatments a pleasant experience by taking the anxiety out of dentistry. This sedation procedure brings about a general state of relaxation. The recovery period is smooth and quite short, with no feelings of nausea. The sedative is given through a small plastic tube into a vein on the back of your hand or inside your elbow. The insertion is very quick and simple. You will feel very relaxed, possibly sleepy and you will experience a general sense of detachment from what is going on. You also remain conscious during the procedure and therefore do not lose any vital protective reflexes such as the ability to cough. As with oral sedation, you are likely to have little or no recollection of having had the treatment after the procedure.
Recovery
The sedation will be continued for the duration of your procedure. You will be discharged home when you have recovered sufficiently from the sedation. The effects of the sedative will be present for the following 24 hours and you will be required to follow our post-operative instructions. You will need to arrange to be collected from your dental appointment.
Sedation Dentistry FAQs
If you are wondering if conscious sedation dentistry is enough for sever dental fear, the answer is absolutely yes. Oral sedation provides sufficient relaxation to alleviate dental anxiety during regular dental procedures and intravenous sedation provides adequate relaxation during surgical dental procedures. Both methods control pain and the dentist may additionally administer local anaesthesia.