Sedation

At the Charlbury Dental Practice, we are committed to offering our patients optimum care and dental treatments.

To help frightened or nervous patients, we now offer sedation in order to minimise anxiety and discomfort.  Sedation can also make having your dental procedures easier if you are having:

• Severe teeth or gum sensitivity.
• Difficulty keeping your mouth open or a gagging reflex.
• Complex oral surgery or multiple procedures.
• If you suffer from dental anxiety.

What is sedation?

Sedation can be administered through the inhalation of a gas or intravenously with an IV (intravenous) sedation. We provide IV sedation, which involves the injection of a sedative into your arm or hand that makes you feel very drowsy and comfortable.  Although you will not fall asleep, sedated patients often do not remember anything about their dental treatment afterwards.

If you are sedated during your treatment, you must be accompanied by a responsible adult, and they must stay with you until the effects of the sedation have worn off. This can sometimes take up to 24 hours, during which time you must not drive, operate machinery, smoke, or drink alcohol.

It’s also important to note that some medical conditions requiring prescription drugs may not be compatible with sedation. And as sedatives do not replace painkillers, your dentist will still use a local anaesthetic to numb the treatment area.