Horn Hill Dental Practice.
1 Horn Hill, Millom, Cumbria LA18 5DP.
Phone 01229 772319.
1 Horn Hill, Millom, Cumbria LA18 5DP.
Phone 01229 772319.
sedation services.
what is sedation?
Sedation involves using a variety of medications or drugs to help reduce your anxiety while receiving dental treatment. These may be provided orally, breathed in or injected directly, via a small tube into a vein.
Prior to your sedation treatment appointment you will be required to attend a pre-operative assessment. Patients must be assessed on a case by case basis, which allows consideration of their specific needs. This includes: medical history, what dental care is to be undertaken, If we have not sedated you before, or if your medical circumstances have changed. Depending upon your medical history, this may need to include a discussion with your general medical practitioner, where in doubt, we prefer to be safe. Sedation is safe but it cannot be provided 'on demand', or for patients with complex or unstable medical problems, some of whom we will need to refer to our colleagues in hospital.
Our principal dentist and our clinical support staff, are experienced in the provision of sedation. We have undertaken thousands of cases in both intravenous & inhalational sedation. Our objective is to help make any care as easy to tolerate as possible whilst keeping you safe.
Prior to your sedation treatment appointment you will be required to attend a pre-operative assessment. Patients must be assessed on a case by case basis, which allows consideration of their specific needs. This includes: medical history, what dental care is to be undertaken, If we have not sedated you before, or if your medical circumstances have changed. Depending upon your medical history, this may need to include a discussion with your general medical practitioner, where in doubt, we prefer to be safe. Sedation is safe but it cannot be provided 'on demand', or for patients with complex or unstable medical problems, some of whom we will need to refer to our colleagues in hospital.
Our principal dentist and our clinical support staff, are experienced in the provision of sedation. We have undertaken thousands of cases in both intravenous & inhalational sedation. Our objective is to help make any care as easy to tolerate as possible whilst keeping you safe.
things to note prior to having sedation:
These type of procedures are difficult to provide in emergency circumstances. You will need to take into considering the following:
These type of procedures are difficult to provide in emergency circumstances. You will need to take into considering the following:
- You will need to attend a pre-operative assessment prior to your sedation appointment to assess you and your needs.
- You will need an escort on the day of your procedure (although in rare circumstances we will monitor you until it is safe for you to leave, only for inhalation sedation cases however).
- You may need to be monitored by your escort for several hours after your procedure.
- We need sufficient available time for the sedation appointment, this is usually decided at your pre-operative assessment and once the Dentist has assessed the radiographs.
- We both need to know in advance exactly what is going to happen (especially for anxious patients) so we would always encourage patients to come in and discuss their problems first, even if we don't actually do anything else at the first appointment.
what sedation services do we provide?
Inhalation Sedation & Intravenous Sedation.
Inhalation sedation:
Inhalation Sedation - also known as "relative analgesia" is a sedation technique which uses a mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide. This mixture is inhaled through a nose piece; so its important that the nose is clear and un blocked, it is very important that the patient Is able to breathe in & out through their nose on the day of the appointment, and that any asthma or other chest conditions are well controlled.
This method will not put you to sleep, although you will feel drowsy, and may also feel "melty" and "floaty". This method is mainly used on anxious children & young adults, but is also useful for some older patients as well.
If you opt for this method of sedation we advise you attend your appointment with an escort who can look after you post-op. The only exception to this would be an adult patient where we have been able to observe them for 30 minutes after treatment but this is only done in rare cases where a patient is unable to have an escort. Driving may only be undertaken with extra care and is best delayed. We suggest bringing a friend who can drive, or booking a taxi to take you home.
If you opt for this method of sedation we advise you attend your appointment with an escort who can look after you post-op. The only exception to this would be an adult patient where we have been able to observe them for 30 minutes after treatment but this is only done in rare cases where a patient is unable to have an escort. Driving may only be undertaken with extra care and is best delayed. We suggest bringing a friend who can drive, or booking a taxi to take you home.
Intravenous sedation:
Intravenous Sedation - also known as "IVS" is a sedation technique which uses the drug midazolam, which is administered through a canulae. It is NOT a general anaesthetic as you may have experience in hospital, and you will NOT be unconscious - though as your memory of the appointment is likely to be impaired, it may feel as if you have been asleep afterwards.
80% of patients will have a hazy or blank period of around 45 - 60 minutes; the other 20% will have a vague memory of some of the treatment. Because of this we will need to be able to explain to your escort what we have been doing, and how it went. This will include whether you have numb lips, had a tooth removed or a denture fitted and whether you need to take analgesics when your get back home. They need this information so they know what to expect and know when to seek further advice if problems occur. You should therefore ask someone you are comfortable having these sort of details disclosed to.
If you opt for this method of sedation you MUST attend your appointment with an escort who can look after you post-op who will care for you for at least 6 hours following being discharged. You must arrange NOT to drive or be left in sole charge of any small children or undertake any other responsible actions for the rest of the day. Although you may feel fine, you are not as coordinated or thinking as clearly as you may believe.
80% of patients will have a hazy or blank period of around 45 - 60 minutes; the other 20% will have a vague memory of some of the treatment. Because of this we will need to be able to explain to your escort what we have been doing, and how it went. This will include whether you have numb lips, had a tooth removed or a denture fitted and whether you need to take analgesics when your get back home. They need this information so they know what to expect and know when to seek further advice if problems occur. You should therefore ask someone you are comfortable having these sort of details disclosed to.
If you opt for this method of sedation you MUST attend your appointment with an escort who can look after you post-op who will care for you for at least 6 hours following being discharged. You must arrange NOT to drive or be left in sole charge of any small children or undertake any other responsible actions for the rest of the day. Although you may feel fine, you are not as coordinated or thinking as clearly as you may believe.
You can find more information of these methods of sedation in the patient information documents available to download at the bottom of this page.
would I benefit from having sedation?
Sedation is a very useful method for helping patients undergo dental care they may find difficult. For some patients this may be needed for all treatment or just for a specific procedure - such as a difficult extraction (see Oral Surgery tab). Our practice has a long standing reputation of caring for our patients (both adults and children) with dental anxiety, both with and without the use of the dental sedation services we provide.
Prior to your sedation appointment you will have a "pre-assessment" appointment. This is so we can discuss the process of your treatment, the time it requires and to answer any questions you may have for us. This will also clarify if you qualify for the sedation services.
You will NOT be the most anxious patient we have treated, your teeth will NOT be the worst we have seen, and no matter how irrational and embarrassing things seem, we are not going to "tell you off" or judge you. We will understand as we have heard it all before, many times.
We are always sympathetic and will give you the time you need to cope with any situation, we will explain what is wrong, what your options are and what its going to feel like, so you can make a decision about what is best for you and whether you will be able to cope.
If you are an anxious patient, see our Dental Anxiety tab for more information.
what is the cost of Private sedation services?
Pre-Operative Assessment |
Inhalation Sedation |
Intravenous Sedation |
£66.00. |
From - £264.00. |
From - £330. |
If you require some more information please click the links below. These are our patient information sheets. They discuss the different types of sedation we offer and also post operative advice for our patients. If you require anymore information on our sedation services, feel free to contact the practice on 01229 772319 and speak to a member of our team.
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