Treatments
Sedation dentistry
For people who find dental treatment genuinely difficult rather than mildly unpleasant. Two options are available here, and neither of them puts you to sleep, which is worth knowing before you build up expectations.
Happy gas
Nitrous oxide, breathed through a small mask over your nose. Light, floaty and warm, working within a few minutes and stopping almost as quickly once the mask comes off.
- You stay fully awake and can talk
- Wears off within minutes
- You can usually drive yourself home
- Adjustable during the appointment
Oral sedation
A tablet taken before your appointment, producing deeper relaxation than happy gas. You remain conscious and responsive, but far less troubled by what is going on.
- Deeper relaxation, lasting several hours
- Memory of the appointment is often hazy
- You must be driven both ways
- Requires a medical history review first
If you have oral sedation, you cannot drive. Arrange someone to bring you and take you home, and plan to have the rest of the day free. This is not negotiable, and appointments get rescheduled if there is no driver.
Who sedation actually helps
- Dental anxiety that has kept you away, sometimes for years
- A strong gag reflex that makes ordinary treatment difficult
- Longer appointments where sitting still is the hard part
- Past experiences that left you dreading the chair
- Difficulty getting comfortably numb with local anaesthetic alone
Sedation is a tool, not the whole answer. Plenty of anxious people manage perfectly well with a longer appointment, a clear explanation and permission to stop whenever they want. We can try that first if you would rather.
What is not offered here
Intravenous sedation and general anaesthetic are not provided at this practice. If your situation genuinely needs treatment while fully asleep, that belongs in a hospital or day surgery setting with an anaesthetist, and I will refer you rather than stretch what is available here to fit.
Frequently asked questions
Talk it through first
Book a consultation with no treatment on the day. We go through your medical history, what has made past appointments hard, and which option suits you, if any.