IV Sedation - What is intravenous sedation?

The world of dentistry has changed so much since we opened up the doors of Gentle Dentistry. Gone are the days of painful dentistry. The next generation of dentistry maximizes patient comfort so that coming to the dentist isn't something to be nervous about. We want to better inform you of these changes so that you can make each visit to Gentle Dental Cambridge Ltd more enjoyable. This web page is designed to do just that. We will keep you informed of new techniques and equipment that is being used at our practice.

At Gentle Dental Cambridge we offer a modern technique of sedation which takes the fear out of dentistry and makes dental treatment a pleasant experience

It is suitable for most patients, however, if you are not in good health or are taking any medicines or tablets, you should tell your dentist so that sedation can be modified to suit your needs.

The technique involves the placement of a sedative (midazolam) into a vein in the arm. The sedative is fast acting, and the patient becomes very relaxed and sometimes drowsy. The sedation is designed to eliminate anxiety, but does not have any effect on physical sensation, and as a result local anesthetic may still be necessary to make the procedure free of discomfort.

Rest assured Gentle Dental Cambridge has a firm policy that there will be at least two people with you at all times during intravenous sedation and you are also welcome to bring a support person

Because of the amnesia produced by these sedative agents while they are acting it may seem to a patient that they have been asleep for most of the treatment, in fact they have been merely been sedated and have not been unconscious like a patient under general anesthesia

On completion of the treatment the patient rests for a short while before being escorted home by a friend or relative. While you will fell quite alert after the treatment, the sedative agents are not completely eliminated from the body for some hours afterwards; this is why you require an escort home.

Intravenous sedation is a very pleasant way of enabling dental treatment to be carried out. Your dentist will be pleased to explain it further to you.

Intravenous Sedation - Post-Sedation

• You must not drive, or operate machinery today.

• You must not undertake responsible business matters today.

• You must not drink any alcohol today.

This patient has had dental treatment carried out with the aid of intravenous
sedation. Occasionally some of the sedative drugs used may produce
drowsiness and forgetfulness for several hours, particularly after long
appointments.

You are therefore requested to:

• See the patient safely home, and arrange for responsible supervision for
at least six to eight hours.

• See that the patient obeys the above instructions.

The patient may feel tired and it is perfectly appropriate that they be allowed
to rest or sleep once home, also they are able to eat and drink as they desire,
but they must avoid alcohol.

If you have any concerns please contact us immediately
33 Victoria Street St Cambridge New Zealand.

Ph: 07 827 8953