For many people, a trip to the dentist is something they face with a degree of anxiety. For others, that anxiety is severe enough to have kept them away from dental care altogether, sometimes for years. If that sounds familiar, you’re far from alone, and dental sedation may be exactly what makes treatment possible for you.
In this post, we explain what dental sedation is, the different types available, and how to know whether it might be right for you.
What Is Dental Sedation?
Dental sedation involves using medication to help you feel calm and relaxed during dental treatment. It’s important to understand that sedation is not the same as general anaesthetic. In most cases you remain conscious and able to respond to your dentist, but you feel deeply at ease and largely unaware of what’s happening around you.
Many patients who’ve had treatment under sedation describe it as feeling like the appointment lasted only a few minutes, or having little to no memory of the procedure afterwards.
Types of Dental Sedation
Inhalation sedation (happy air)
Also known as relative analgesia or “laughing gas,” this involves breathing a mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen through a small nosepiece. It produces a pleasant, floaty sense of calm within minutes and wears off very quickly once removed, so you can drive home afterwards. It’s gentle, easily adjustable, and particularly well suited to mild-to-moderate anxiety.
Oral sedation
This involves taking a sedative tablet before your appointment. It produces a deeper level of relaxation than inhalation sedation. You’ll need someone to accompany you to and from the practice, as the effects last several hours.
Intravenous (IV) sedation
Delivered directly into the bloodstream via a small needle in the back of the hand or arm, IV sedation produces a profound state of calm very quickly. It’s the deepest form of conscious sedation and is often used for more complex procedures or for patients with significant dental phobia. You’ll need to be accompanied and will need to rest for the remainder of the day.
Who Is Dental Sedation For?
Sedation isn’t only for people with extreme phobias. It can be appropriate for a wide range of situations.
Dental anxiety or phobia
- If fear has been preventing you from seeking the care you need, sedation can make treatment genuinely possible, often for the first time in years.
Sensitive gag reflex
- A strong gag reflex can make dental work uncomfortable or even impossible without sedation, which helps suppress that response.
Complex or lengthy treatment
- If you’re undergoing a procedure such as multiple extractions, implant placement, or extensive restorative work, sedation allows longer appointments to feel much more manageable.
Previous traumatic dental experiences
- Patients who’ve had a difficult or painful experience in the past often find that sedation helps them feel safe enough to return to care.
Children or adults with additional needs
- For patients who find it difficult to sit still or cooperate with treatment for cognitive or physical reasons, sedation can make treatment accessible.
Is Dental Sedation Safe?
Yes. When administered by trained dental professionals, sedation is very safe. At Stricklands, our team is experienced in managing anxious and nervous patients, and we take thorough medical histories before recommending any form of sedation to ensure it’s appropriate for you.
You’ll always have a full consultation beforehand, and we’ll talk through the options so you can make an informed, unhurried decision.
You Don’t Have to White-Knuckle It
Dental anxiety is nothing to be embarrassed about, and avoiding treatment is never the answer. Small problems left untreated have a way of becoming bigger ones.
Sedation is a completely valid and widely used tool that helps thousands of patients access the care they need.
If anxiety has been holding you back, we’d encourage you to get in touch. We’ll listen, we won’t rush you, and we’ll make sure you understand every option available.
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