Should you consider sedation dentistry in Edinburgh?

For most patients treatments that involve some mild discomfort are performed with a local anaesthetic to numb the area and limit the amount of pain that is felt. However, in some cases there may be call for a stronger sedative to make a potentially stressful procedure for one of our patients a little easier.

Although its use is a fairly common practice and not just for severe cases. So with that in mind, here is a little more information on sedation dentistry in Edinburgh and when we may use it.

What is it?

If you are not familiar with sedation dentistry in Edinburgh, it essentially involves the use of a mild sedative to relax a patient to the point where they can be taken through their prescribed treatment. It is a fairly common practice and it tends to involve your dentist and GP communicating with each other beforehand to make sure you don’t have an adverse reaction to any anaesthetic. A reaction can occur either through allergies or the sedatives conflicting with any medication you may take outside of the dentist office.

When is it used?

Sedation is used in a number of different cases for our patients, but generally it tends to be used for patients with low pain thresholds or those that can’t sit still in the chair, such as young children. It can also be implemented for those that may have anxiety and fear of the dentist. Our dentist may decide it should be brought in if you have very sensitive teeth, an overactive gag reflex or if there’s an extensive amount of dental work to go through and it is a solution to avoid you going through any prolonged discomfort.

At Craigentinny Dental Care our team will assess your case to the full extent of their abilities, to make sure you are an acceptable and safe candidate for sedation.

Are there different types?

There are actually a number of different types of sedative used in dentistry and they are chosen based on the patient, their medical history and the treatment that’s being undertaken.

As an example, there is inhaled sedation through the use of nitrous oxide or ‘laughing gas’. There is oral sedation available with a pill from the valium family, IV sedation through the vein that will work more quickly than other normal methods and finally there’s general anaesthesia which puts patients to sleep. 

Is it safe?

There is always a risk when anaesthesia is involved, but generally it is safe. It is only used by experienced dentists and they will always speak with you and your GP beforehand to make sure that there are not going to be any complications from you being sedated. We may also go through your medical history as well, to make sure that the entire process is as safe as we can possibly make it.

These are just a few facts about your options for sedation when you come into our practice. If you would like to discuss your options, the methods available to you, or if your dentist thinks it would be appropriate in your case, then just contact the practice for a chat.