Fear of the dentist is common and we can help you by offering intravenous sedation.

It is a safe and efficient method used to help our patients receive the dental care they need.

Intravenous sedation could be right for you if you have any of the following:

  • Severe dental fear / traumatic past dental history
  • Difficulty getting numb using anaesthesia
  • Needle phobia
  • Strong gag reflex
  • Difficulty controlling movement due to systemic conditions, such as cerebral palsy or Parkinson’s disease

Intravenous sedation is performed by a qualified anaesthetist and patients will be in a state of extreme relaxation, almost like sleep. The sedatives place you into a carefully controlled state of semiconsciousness for the dental procedure. It is not the same as a general anaesthetic, but generally you will remember nothing of the dental procedure.

After the intravenous sedation session, you will not remember the dental procedure and it can take a little while to recover. Hence you will need a responsible adult to escort you home and stay with you for the remainder of the day until you are fully alert.

You must not drive a motor vehicle for 24 hours afterwards.