Sleep through your dental treatment!!

Have you been putting off dental treatment because you are nervous or have had a bad experience in the past?  We have a solution for.

Intravenous sedation in dentistry is very safe, highly effective and will make your dental visit a relaxing, sleepy and comfortable experience. It is also known as twilight sedation, sleep dentistry or twilight anaesthesia.

A combination of intravenous anaesthetic, sedative and pain-relieving medications are administered by a qualified anaesthetic specialist to create a very sleepy and pleasant dream-like state for the whole procedure so that you will be relaxed, comfortable and unaware of your surroundings, while still maintaining the ability to breathe on your own, move and be able to respond to direction. The vast majority of people have no memory of the procedure and patients often comment that the whole procedure has passed in only a few minutes when in reality it may have been several hours.

Intravenous sedation also allows patients to avoid the risks, cost and time involved with having a general anaesthetic in hospital. It allows your dentist to care for you our clinic and allows you to recover quickly with minimal side effects compared to undergoing a general anaesthetic.

Intravenous sedation is beneficial for patients who:

• Have anxiety or are nervous about dental procedures.
• Have had traumatic or negative dental experiences in the past.
• Require complex, multiple, extensive or long dental treatments.
• Dislike needles, drills, sights, sounds, tastes or smells associated with their dental procedures.
• Require removal of wisdom teeth, teeth extractions, dental surgery/oral surgery, dental implants, root canal treatment, fillings, periodontal or gum treatments, crowns and bridges, full mouth restorations, bone grafts ect.
• Have limited time and wish to undertake their dental treatment in one appointment instead of multiple visits..
• Have difficulty feeling numb with local anaesthetic injections.
• Have a strong gag reflex or find it difficult to keep their mouth open during treatment.

During IV sedation you are not asleep but rather in a more comfortable "semi awake" state of reduced anxiety. You are still able to respond to verbal instructions, or to a light physical touch. You need no medical assistance to maintain breathing and heart function although you are monitored with hospital grade anaesthetic equipment during the entire procedure.  Compared to other sedatives that are administered orally or inhaled, intravenous drugs induce a deeper sedated state. This makes them appropriate for patients that are extremely anxious or need to be sedated for longer periods of time because they require extensive dental work.  It is also a great option for patients who may have a sensitive gag reflex (this is a topic worth talking to your dentist about). 

The fee for IV sedation is charged directly by the Anaesthetist and will depend on the length of treatment but is still significantly cheaper than having the treatment done in a hospital visit. Medicare rebates are available to assist with the cost.  The dental treatment costs remain exactly the same as your treatment plan quote regardless of whether it is done using IV sedation. 

If you have dental treatment that needs to be done, consider talking to us about the option of IV sedation.  Call the practice on 07 3491 8131 to schedule your new patient consultation or email us at info@anzacavenuedental.com.au or book on line at www.anzacavenuedental.com.au