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Sedation involves the use of a variety of drugs
that relax the patient during a medical or dental procedure.
It can vary in depth from very light sedation where the
patient is tranquillised but fully aware of what is going
on, right through to almost a general anaesthetic there
the patient is unconscious. In dentistry, CONSCIOUS
SEDATION is used whereby the patient may be
relaxed enough to drop off, but can easily be roused.
Sedation does not control pain, but can alter the patient's
perception of it, and can often raise the pain threshold
in those patients who find that local anaesthetics don’t
always work.
A variety of drugs may be used singly or in combination,
delivered either by mouth, nose or by injection. Pain
control is carried out by local anaesthesia.
Some dentists use RELATIVE ANALGESIA, commonly known
as gas and air, which has the advantage of being suitable
for all ages and does not depend on the patient being
in good health and wears off very quickly.
Some dentist are qualified to carry out basic
sedation, but most would employ an anaesthetist or
sedationist if the case is complex. This leaves the
dentist free to concentrate on the dentistry.
Sedation helps calm patients who are nervous
or anxious about treatment and is useful for lengthy
and unpleasant procedures. patients with a history
of cardiac problems may also benefit from sedation
to reduce stress during long treatment. |
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Sedation is not suitable for young children, nor
people suffering from very ill-health, whose sedation should
be carried out in a hospital setting. Conditions such as
high blood pressure(hypertension), diabetes, asthma, allergies,
etc in isolation are not aggravated by sedation- in fact
reducing the stress may be helpful in these cases.
Sedation is a very safe technique, provided
it is carried out by a qualified and experienced person
and all the necessary monitoring and resuscitation
equipment is on hand.
Some patients experience
amnesia for a few hours or sleepiness for a day or
so afterwards. However all patients who have been sedated
are advised not to drive for the rest of the day or
to take any major life decisions, and should be given
a number to contact for the first 24 hours afterwards
in case of concerns.
For safety reasons
full general anaesthesia may not now be carried out
in the dental surgery.
Sedation may be costly, especially if an anaesthetist
is employed in addition to the dentist. The process
may also take slightly longer, as a lead-in time and
recovery period are added to the time taken for the
dental procedure. Most sedation is carried out in private
practice, though some units may offer it on the NHS.
Dentists are under no obligation to provide sedation
for patients, but it is fairly widely available.
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