IV Sedation Dental Fear and phobia Although great technical advances have been achieved in dentistry during recent years, the problem of anxiety and pain must still be over come if the benefit of these advances is to be brought to all. There are countless patient who cannot bring themselves to seek regular dental treatment due to their fear. In no other branch of healing profession is pain, anxiety and apprehension tolerated as it is in dentistry. As a consequence many patients wait until their teeth are completely beyond repair. Dental phobic and apprehensive patients are often a poor attendee and therefore likely to be the most in need of dental treatment. What is IV Sedation? IV sedation is a state of art technique which takes the fear out of dentistry and makes dental treatment a very pleasant experience. Other sedative techniques such as Nitrous Oxide and Oral Sedation are commonly used in most dental surgeries; however, IV sedation's superior results make it the method of choice for the fearful and the phobic patient. In nut shell IV sedation: Helps you to relax Prevents and controls you feeling any pain during dental treatment. Takes away any sounds of dental drill What does it involve? The technique involves the injection of small amounts of a sedative into a vein in the arm. This injection is painless and the sedative soon takes effect. The patient becomes very relaxed and very drowsy and the dental treatment can be carried out quite comfortably. Local anaesthetic injections are sometimes necessary, however, these will not cause any discomfort. Sometimes the procedure can be carried out without local anaesthetic in complete comfort. Because of the Amnesia (forgetfulness) produced by these sedative agents it seems to the patients that he has been a sleep for most of the treatment however, he has merely been sedated and has not been unconscious as is a patient under general anaesthesia. On completion of the treatment the patient rests for a short while before being escorted home. While you will feel quite alert after treatment, the sedative agents are not completely eliminated from the body for some hours after words - hence the need for an escort home. IV sedation is useful for patients who are Nervous or anxious about treatment. Gag or cannot keep their mouth open for a long period of time Undergoing surgical procedures for example, tooth removal or implants. Want to complete as much treatment as possible in one visit as we can achieve more under IV sedation. The patient is more comfortable not moving around or adjusting oneself, there is no need to pause for breaks Safety of IV Sedation The main drug used for IV sedation is Hypnovel (Midazolam), it has an excellent safety record when used on healthy patients. The risk of allergy to Midazolam is rare. However, during the procedure a nurse will remain with you at all times, she will use a sophisticated machine called a Vital Signs Monitor which will continually monitor the following important vital signs: your heart rate your blood pressure The oxygen in your blood circulation. Instructions before treatment Please report details of drugs being taken, especially sleeping drugs or tranquillizers. No food or drink should be taken within four hours of the appointment time. Please do not wear tight clothing - sleeves especially should be easily drawn up past the elbow. Contact lenses are best removed at the appointment time. Nail polish or acrylic nails should be removed; these interfere with the monitoring of the oxygen saturation in your blood circulation. Please visit the toilet prior to entering the surgery. Instructions after treatment Following the sedation you will feel sleepy and drowsy for several hours particularly after long appointments, there will be no recollection of the procedure apart from the numbness of the mouth where local anaesthetic was injected. Due to the sedative effects of the medication, you will need someone to escort you home - no patient may leave unescorted after the sedation. Once you are at home you should not undertake the following for at least 24 hours: Drive a car. Drink any alcohol including beer. Make important decisions such as signing important papers Use hazardous machinery. Engage in sports   We strongly recommend that you have a responsible adult to stay with you for the first 6-8 hours