IV Sedation

At Newton Dental, our sedation is carried out by our specialist consultant anaesthetist Dr Giju George, whom has years of experience both in general hospital and in dental hospitals and is a council member of the Association of Dental Anaesthetist.

Conscious sedation is a commonly used, safe procedure which is defined as a technique in which the use of a drug or drugs, produces a state of depression of the central nervous system enabling treatment to be carried out, although during treatment, verbal contact with the patient is maintained throughout the period of sedation. 

Conscious sedation can be provided by tablets or intravenous injection, the main difference being the level of sedation achieved. The intention in providing sedation is to allow a patient to undergo more difficult procedures in comfort, without the worry normally associated with those treatments. It is a safe and effective procedure in common use for dentistry and dental surgery in particular.

Sedation is not sleep, but a drug induced state that reduces awareness and your ability to respond. The procedure still requires local anaesthetic and this will be given once your chosen method of sedation has been achieved. IV sedation has a strong amnesic effect, and it is unlikely that you will remember much at all about the surgery. 

Sedation by tablets, usually Temazepam, is described as anxiolytic. It reduces anxiety, but is less profound than intravenous sedation, with the normal drug for the IV route being midazolam. The usual protocol for sedation by tablets is to take some the evening before the procedure to assist with sleeping, and a repeat dose an hour before the surgery. Recovery after oral sedation is slower than for IV sedation, and the normal precautions, such as avoiding driving or operating heavy machinery for 24 hours will need to be observed.