Dental sedation

Sedation is a great option for nervous patients and anyone who feels anxious about receiving treatment. With safe and proven techniques, we administer sedation medication to place you in a relaxed and dream-like state, making it feel as though your appointment passes in no time.

The experienced team at Hadleigh Dental Surgery have helped thousands of patients overcome lifelong fears and dental phobias to finally get the treatment they need.

Sedation facts

• It really works! You really can relax through your dental appointment
• When sedated you will be conscious, but unaware of what is going on around you
• You will have little or no memory of the experience

When receiving sedation you will be fully informed beforehand of any potential side effects and given advice to help with your recovery. You may be advised to bring someone along with you to the appointment who is able to take you home afterwards, and it's advisable to rest for the remainder of the day. You should be back to normal within 24 hours.

We offer the following types of sedation at Hadleigh Dental Surgery. Your dentist will be able to help you advise which type of sedation is right for you:

IV sedation

IV sedation is a very effective and safe way of treating those with moderate to severe anxiety and even phobia. This technique is started by the anaesthetist and involves the use of a small cannula (needle) placed in the back of the hand or the arm through which a sedative is administered prior to treatment.

As a patient you are conscious for the entire procedure, but don’t let this put you off. You will experience an extremely relaxed state, to the point of drowsiness. Many patients are more than happy to take a nap during treatment. IV sedation is not intended to put you to sleep or make you unconscious like a general anaesthetic, you just feel so relaxed and oblivious to your surroundings that you are happy to doze off. Because of this time passes in what appears to be minutes, even when undertaking many hours of treatment.

Inhalation sedation

Inhalation sedation is provided by your Hadleigh Dental Surgery dentist and team of nurses. With this technique you breath in a mixture of gas and air through a small mask fitted over the mouth and nose, which quickly leads to a pleasant and calm feeling. Our dental team will put you at ease by talking softly and explaining the process to you in full. Although you may feel a little drowsy, you will remain conscious at all times.

The advantages of Inhalation Sedation, or ‘Happy Air’, are that the recovery time is much quicker and it can be used for a wider range of people including children.

With refined care and expertise we’ve been helping patients throughout Ipswich, Colchester, Bury St Edmunds and Sudbury manage their fear of the dentist for many years - we can do it for you too. Take the first step today…why not give us a call on 01473 823092 for a chat and to find out how we could help you.