IV Sedation – Changing The Lives Of Patients

36% of adults in the UK don’t visit the dentist regularly because of a fear of the dentist and 12% of this percentage suffer from extreme dental phobia. Here at Smile Up, we believe that everyone deserves to have a smile they’re proud of and a fear of the dentist should not prevent anyone from receiving treatment they need. We can offer IV sedation to patients who feel their dental anxiety is a barrier to the smile of their dreams.

How does IV sedation work?

For nervous patients, IV sedation can totally redefine what it means to go to the dentist, changing their perspective thereafter. Many patients find that once they have had a procedure performed under IV sedation, they do not require it for subsequent procedures, having built up their confidence.

The drugs used in IV sedation are not painkillers (a common misconception) but are in fact anti-anxiety drugs such as Diazepam and Midazolam, though you can also have pain relief during your treatment if you wish. The sedation relaxes you and has an amnesic effect and you will find your anxiety is left to one side within about 10 seconds of your dentist administering the drug.

How will it benefit you, the patient?

• Patients with a fear of the dental practice environment and of needles and other associated dentistry equipment will be oblivious to the surroundings that would normally incite nerves.
• As mentioned above, IV sedation takes a matter of seconds to take effect, so you won’t have to experience a purgatory period of anxiety between administration and waiting for the effects to set in.
• You will be able to co-operate with the dentist should they need you to open your mouth a little wider, for example. This makes the procedure more streamlined for you and the dentist as everything can be performed more quickly and without hesitation from the patient.
• Here at Smile Up, we’ll monitor you every 3 to 5 minutes to make sure you’re OK.
• The effects wear off quickly after the procedure is over, so you’ll be able to return to your normal activities around 1-2 hours afterwards. There is no recovery period necessary which is a plus for our patients, many of which have busy lives!

We are open 7 days a week, so you don’t have to worry about fitting your appointment in around the working week if this is not an option for you. We also speak a diversity of languages including Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Polish and Bulgarian and our website is translatable into the latter with the addition of Greek.

Contact our friendly team today to book your appointment with us here in Lewisham if you’re looking for a Bromley dentist.