Sedation
At shore dental we offer IV (intravenous) sedation. If you have dental anxiety/phobia which prevents you from getting dental treatment, sedation may help.
You won’t be put to sleep, but you’ll feel relaxed and sleepy. The procedure involves injecting a sedative medication into your hand or arm via a cannular. This helps you to relax and prevents pain during dental treatment.
The pros of IV sedation:
- Significantly reduces anxiety
- You will have little to no memory of the treatment afterwards
- Little to no pain from dental treatment
The cons of IV sedation
- You’ll need to take at least one day off work
- Temporarily unable to drive
- For some patients, side effects could include nausea and headaches
Before sedation
Some patients may not be eligible for sedation depending on their medical history. You will need to have an IV sedation assessment first to ensure that you are suitable for the treatment. This will allow you to ask any questions you may have, go through the consent form and be given pre and post op instructions.
You will not be able to drive afterwards so will need to arrange for someone to accompany you to and from the practice.
During sedation
After administering the sedation medication, you should feel relaxed and sleepy. The dentist will then be able to start your dental treatment. You will be less aware of what’s going on but will be able to communicate.
After sedation
It can take up to 12 hours for the sedation to fully wear off, and you may feel drowsy so you should make sure you have someone to stay with you until you feel back to normal.
