Onward House Dental Implant Clinic

“	The intravenous sedation for the operation was amazing. I felt no pain or discomfort and the care taken by you and your nurse, Karen, could not have been better.	”
From a testimonial sent in by Mrs C of Stockton upon completion of her implant treatment.

IV sedation is an extremely successful, popular, and safe procedure in which Simon Allum has more than 20 years trouble-free experience.

This option is an ideal choice for many patients who need to undergo a one-off surgical procedure (eg implants) or for those patients who are simply too nervous to contemplate other forms of dental treatment with just a local anaesthetic alone.

IV Sedation - the procedure

A sedative drug is administered via an injection in your arm or hand. Once you feel drowsy and sufficiently relaxed for treatment your mouth will be numbed and the treatment commenced. During the procedure you will feel peaceful and largely unaware of what is going on. Many patients do not remember all or part of their treatment. At the end of the session you will be discharged home with your escort once you are adequately recovered.

IV Sedation - We will need to know

We will need to check your medical history, and the names of any tablets or medicines that you are currently taking - please bring them all (or a list of them all) with you! We will also need to check your blood pressure. In case of any query, we may need to contact your G.P.

IV Sedation - On the day of your treatment naturally, you will be feeling nervous!

You can have a light meal up to two hours beforehand, but nothing to eat or drink after this time. Do not drink alcohol!
Wear something comfortable which is not too tight around the neck or arms (we need to be able to roll up a sleeve without it constricting your upper arm). If it is a cold day, please wear gloves (it is easier to find a vein if you have warm hands!). Please ensure that any nail varnish is removed before you attend as this can interfere with the readings on our monitor (the monitor has to fit onto one of your fingers and takes readings from under your nail bed).
A responsible adult must accompany you home afterwards. We cannot sedate you if there is no-one to take you home and keep an eye on you until you are fully recovered later in the day.
You should take any routine medicines at the usual times - but make sure that you have told the dentist about them.

IV Sedation - After your treatment

One side effect of the drug used is that you may experience a short loss of memory afterwards. You are likely to forget events which occur during, or shortly after your treatment. Therefore we may need to give advice and instructions about the work that you have had done to the person that collects you afterwards. If there is anything confidential of which you were rather they were not aware (e.g. such as the fact that you wear a denture), then you should mention this to the dentist beforehand. You will probably leave the surgery feeling relaxed and happy, but may be a little unsteady on your feet. You must travel home with your escort, by car if possible.

When you arrive home, you will probably want to go to bed and sleep for an hour or two. You will certainly need to have a quiet day. Later on, you will feel completely fine. However, the sedatives can take up to 24 hours to be completely eliminated from your system. Therefore you should be chaperoned during this time and should not be held responsible for the care of young children since you and you can have brief episodes of lapses in your concentration during this period.

IV Sedation - DURING THE 24 HOURS FOLLOWING YOUR TREATMENT

Do not drive.
Do not use complex/hazardous machinery, e.g. cooker, iron, power tools.
Do not drink alcohol.
Do not sign legal documents