Sedation for nervous patients
At Clinic for Implant & Orthodontic Dentistry, we provide a full range of dental sedation services, like:
- I.V. Sedation
- Oral Sedation
- Buccal Sedation
- Nasal sedation
A wide range of patients, like nervous patients, needle phobic patients, and patients suffering from Alzheimer’s or dementia, would benefit from a sedation service.
• WHY CONSCIOUS SEDATION?
The phrase conscious sedation was originally used by the American Dental Association; a technique used to make patients comfortable during the operation. Conscious sedation is probably the fastest growing area in anaesthesia care, and has become a very effective viable alternative to general anaesthesia for many surgical procedures e.g. dental procedures, plastic and reconstructive surgery, dermatology, endoscopies, bronchoscopies, and liver and renal biopsies. You will come in on the day of surgery and leave the same day usually within one hour after the operation. In addition, there is a significantly lower incidence of side effects with conscious sedation (incuding low incidence of nausea and vomiting, headaches, sore throats, muscle aches, and pain), and the costs for conscious sedation are much lower compared to general anaesthesia.
• WHAT IS CONSCIOUS SEDATION?
The aim of sedation is to make you comfortable, totally relaxed and safe during a procedure. Administration of the sedatives and analgesia results in you becoming drowsy and sleepy, pain free, and probably amnesic such that you will have very little recollection of the procedure. Communication is possible if necessary during the operation because even though you are completely relaxed and unconcerned, you are not completey unconscious at any point in time. Your vital signs e.g. blood pressure, breathing, pulse rate, etc are monitored throughout the procedure to ensure your safety, and a sedationist will stay with you all the time. Recovery after sedation is much faster than with general anaesthesia. The same applies for the side effect profile e.g. nausea and vomiting, headaches, muscle pains, sore throats, which is much less than with general anaesthesia - in fact very few patients experience any side effects at all. For these reasons patient satisfaction is very high after conscious sedation - a recent survey of the experiences and satisfaction of patients who had sedation show that 99.5% of patients would take sedation again if they have a choice. Conscious sedation is achieved with intravenous agents (usually administered into a vein) and/or inhalation agents.
• HOW DOES SEDATION DIFFER FROM GENERAL ANAESTHESIA?
The main differences between conscious sedation and general anaesthesia is the level of consciousness, safety, side effects, and cost.
• Level of consciousness: with conscious sedation the patient is drowsy, comfortable, sleepy and relaxed, but remains conscious. Patients can be roused by verbal communication if necessary. With general anaesthesia the patient is completely unresponsive and cannot be roused by verbal communication.
• Safety: with conscious sedation the required dose of drug is low and the patient is still in control of major reflex functions such as breathing. With general anaesthesia the higher doses of drugs renders the patient unconscious who then loses these reflexes which are then maintained artificially. Higher doses of drugs administered with general anaesthesia are associated with higher risks.
• Side effects: due to the lower dose of sedative/anaesthetics the frequency of side effects are minimal when compared to general anaesthesia where the side effect profile is much more substantial.
• Cost: the fact that the recovery period of sedation is much quicker than with general anaesthetic, combined with the fact that sedation does not require hospital settings, means that the cost of sedation is far lower than that for general anaesthesia. General anaesthesia can only be done inside a hospital in an operating theater
• WILL I BE UNCOMFORTABLE AND FEEL ANY PAIN WHILE UNDER SEDATION?
Even though you are not completely asleep, you will be drowsy, relaxed and pain free during the procedure. The sedative drugs combined with analgesics and local anaesthesia ensures that you will have no pain. The drugs will also contribute towards a pain free period after the operation.
• HOW SHOULD I SPEND MY TIME AT HOME RECOVERING AFTER THE OPERATION?
Elimination of the sedative agents from your body can take up to 24 hours. It is important during this time to rest and recover from the procedure. Therefore, however well you may feel, within that time you should NOT:
• drive a vehicle (insurance will be void)
• cook or use electrical implements
• operate any machinery
• sign important documents, cheques, etc
• look after children
• ride a bicycle, etc
• make important decisions, etc
• use alcohol, sleeping tablets, tobacco, abuse drugs
• perform other complicated tasks or responsibilities
You will not be allowed to drive yourself home, and you will not be able to leave the clinic or facility if there is not a responsible adult that can drive you home and take care of the post-operative recovery period. You should remain in the company of a responsible adult for 12 hours following the procedure.
Clinic for Implant & Orthodontic Dentistry is located in the heart of Worthing and offers all forms of dental treatment under sedation to anxious patients older than 12 years. Patients under the age of 12 must be referred to the country's specialised sedation centres.
You are welcome to make an appointment to discuss your sedation needs with Dr Amir Mostofi.
