Patient Information
Patient Instructions / FAQ
Conscious sedation is a technique that is designed to relax you during your dental procedures.
Are you a Candidate for Dental Sedation?
Yes, if you have any of the following:
- Fear of dental treatment
- Dental Phobia – Specific phobias e.g- General dental, needle, drill etc.
- Fear of Panic Attacks/Choking
- Having Implant/prolonged surgical treatment
- Sensitive Gag Reflex
- History of traumatic dental experiences.
- If you hate the noises, smells, and tastes associated with dental care.
- Complex dental problems.
- In denial of a dental problem until the pain is unbearable
- Have not received professional dental care in many years.
- Go from dentist to dentist to renew painkiller prescriptions for dental problems.
- Experience sweaty palms or find yourself gripping the armrests.
FAQ
Pre Sedation
Instructions:
1. Do not eat any solid food for 3 hours before your appointment. You can have water up to 2 hours before your appointment. (IF you are diabetic - we will advise you accordingly- but generally you will take all your normal diabetic medications with some light food)
2. Please arrive 30 minutes before your appointment time.
3. Please take your regular medication at the usual times with a small amount of water.
Unless specifically advised by your sedationist at your preop assessment.
5. Alcohol and recreational should be avoided for 5 days prior and after your appointment.
During Treatment:
- You will receive the medication through a tube in a vein in your arm or back of your hand
- You will be drowsy and feel sleepy and feel peaceful and unaware of treatment
After Treatment Instructions:
1. The sedation may produce TEMPORARY AMNESIA.
2. A responsible adult WILL be required to escort you home after the procedure, either by car or taxi.
3. Take your regular medication as usual.
4. Please do NOT take alcohol for 5 days after
5. Avoid breastfeeding for 24 hours after.
6. It can take up 24 hours for the sedative drugs to be eliminated from your body and for you to fully recover from the effects of sedation (drowsiness, loss of memory, lack of awareness and coordination, etc). Therefore, however well you may feel, please
DO NOT:
* Drive a vehicle (insurance will be void), or cycle
*DO NOT USE INTERNET/SOCIAL MEDIA for 12 hours after sedation ( due to temporary amnesia)
* Use electrical equipment, cook, or operate machinery
* Care for children or dependant adults
* Make important decisions, sign important documents or perform complicated tasks
* Use alcohol, sleeping tablets, tobacco or recreational drugs.
What happens after treatment?
Sedative agents can affect your coordination and judgement for some time after your treatment is completed. For this reason you will be given a list of ‘dos and don’ts’ for after your sedation. How long do these restrictions apply? Most sedationists will say between twelve and twenty-four hours or until the next day. Your sedationist will advise what is best for you given the type of sedation they have given you and your reaction to it – some people take longer to recover than others from the same dose and combination of agents.
The vast majority of patients feel really good after a sedation; relaxed but a bit tired. Most patients go home, have something light to eat and drink have a sleep for a few hours after which they usually feel more ‘with it’. The rest of the day should be spent relaxing at home, reading a book, watching TV, sitting in the garden – the choice is yours but please ensure that you take it easy.
FAQ:
You have various options. You may choose:
• Not to have any treatment
• Have the treatment with local anaesthesia
• Have the treatment under conscious sedation and local anaesthesia
• Have general anaesthesia in a hospital environment.
• WHAT IS CONSCIOUS SEDATION?
It is a means of making 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. It may not work on all patients - ie the aim is not to put you asleep, but make you relaxed and you may naturally dose off as you get relaxed.
• HOW LONG DO I NEED TO RECOVER?
This depends on the drugs used, your individual response, and the time spent under sedation. After the administration of the sedative drugs is stopped, recovery is in most cases about 30 minutes. The sedationist will carefully monitor you to ensure that you are fit for discharge.
DO I STILL NEED TO HAVE LOCAL ANAESTHETIC?
YES
The conscious sedation drugs are given to relax you whilst the local anaesthetic drugs will numb your teeth The local anaesthetic will be administered by your dentist, after the sedation has taken effect.
• DOES SOMEONE NEED TO TAKE ME HOME?
Yes, due to the sedative affects of the medication you will need a responsible adult to accompany you home, preferably by car or taxi. When you are discharged from the clinic by your sedationist you will look quite normal but your memory may not be back to normal so you may or may not remember the journey home, your escort is there to ensure you arrive home safely and to look after you for a short while after the sedation until your memory is back to normal. Occasionally your escort may need to stay with you over night; this is more likely if your sedation is very late in the day or you have medical problems that mean it would be safer for you to have someone supervising you for a little longer. Your escort should therefore be someone you trust and feel comfortable with. If you are having problems finding a suitable escort please let us know as we may be able to help. Unfortunately if you do not arrange a suitable escort your sedationist will not be able to give you the sedation.
• SHALL I TAKE MY NORMAL MEDICATIONS BEFORE MY SEDATION?
When we assess you, you MUST tell us all the medications you are on. You MUST continue to take ALL your medications as usual, unless advised otherwise by the sedationist.
• Diabetes medications: it is important that the sedation practitioner gives you guidance here since it may be that you should have a meal, and not take oral anti-diabetic drugs the morning of the operation. You are encouraged to monitor your blood glucose levels before the sedation, and bring these with you to the surgery.
• Antidepressants: maybe being taken for pain. It is important to inform the sedation practitioner of any antidepressants you may be taking, since certain classes of antidepressants can interact with the sedative agents, and it may be required that you stop these for a few days prior to the procedure. (These like regular sleeping tablets can affect the level of sedation and you may feel more aware but will be in no pain and feel relaxed).
Whatever medication you may be taking it is advisable to bring it to the surgery on the day of the operation to show to the sedation practitioner.
Risks:
TheReason why we are able to provide sedation, is because it is very safe following the relevant guidelines. But you must be aware of the following
- Temporary loss of memory: this is very common when sedatives from the benzodiazepine family are used. This effect can last for some time after you leave the clinic which is why you need a responsible adult (your escort) to look after you when you leave the clinic. With other drug combinations this effect can be limited to the procedure and a very short time afterwards – your sedationist will discuss the different types of sedation with you during the telephone call.
• A reduction in oxygen levels in the blood stream due to poor breathing during the sedation; your sedationist will be monitoring your breathing and oxygen levels throughout so they will know if this happen so they can treat it quickly – quite often all that is needed is for them to ask you to take a deep breath and you will do so, although you may not remember having done so afterwards.
• Bruising at the site of the cannula. This is reasonably common and is more likely if you have delicate or thin skin. People who are taking long term steroids can have thinned skin and as we age our skin naturally looses ‘padding’ and becomes more fragile. Your sedationist will do what they can to ensure you don’t get a bruise but if you do it may take several days to fade completely.
• Low mood (feeling depressed): this is rare but can happen when medications from the benzodiazepine family are used. You are more at risk of this if you have a history or tendency towards depression and / or you are having a very extensive surgical procedure done. The effect is only temporary and rarely last more than a few days.
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Address: London,Surrey,Home Counties,Cambridge