Nervous Patients

If you’re one of those nervous patients and not overly thrilled to visit the dentist, you’re not alone. Many people still think of going to the dentist as resulting in a painful experience. However, technology and techniques have improved significantly since the rise of this outdated stigma.

At Smile Style Dental, we’ve made treating nervous patients one of our areas of expertise. Our aim is to make your treatment comfortable and have you feeling relaxed in no time at all. We’ve hand-picked the latest pain-free dental technology, sourced experienced practitioners and done our research to ensure you walk out with a smile.

Are you letting your fear hold you back from achieving your dream smile?

At Smile Style Dental we have 3 Sedation options for our anxious clients:

Sleep Dentistry (IV Sedation)

What is sleep dentistry?

Sleep dentistry involves sedative medication being administered intravenously.

It allows us to perform dental procedures whilst you are in a deep state of relaxation, yet still conscious.

Sleep dentistry is also called intravenous (IV) sedation, conscious sedation or twilight sedation.

At VC Dental, IV sedation is administered and monitored by a qualified anaesthetist practitioner who is specifically brought in for your appointment. This service is provided in our dental surgery so you don’t have to travel elsewhere for treatment.

Both children and adults can have procedures performed under sleep dentistry sedation. Common procedures include fillings, dental crowns, tooth extractions, surgical wisdom tooth extractions, oral surgery procedures, and dental implant placement.

IV sedation is available to all patients who are medically fit for the procedure.

A portion of the sedation cost can be claimed back on Medicare.

Sleep dentistry is different to general anaesthetic as instead of being unconscious, you are in a highly relaxed, sleep-like state. This can allow you to sleep through your dental procedure.

The sedative medication is administered into your bloodstream through a small cannula, usually in the back or your hand or in your arm. We can provide numbing cream to the area before the needle is given if you prefer.

During your procedure, the anaesthetist practitioner will monitor your blood pressure, and measure your pulse and oxygen.

While sedated, all of your reflexes will remain intact, for example you will be able to swallow and breathe as you normally would. If needed, we can easily wake you and you will be able to understand and follow instructions.

Benefits of Sleep Dentistry

✔ Relaxation – nervous patients can undergo dental treatments with reduced or eliminated fear/anxiety.

✔ Comfort – patients may find sedation more comfortable for long or complex procedures.

✔ Efficiency – patients can often have multiple dental treatments completed in the one appointment.

✔ Convenient – treatment is provided in our dental surgery so you don’t have to travel to other locations.

✔ Personalised – the medication dosage is tailored to each patient.

✔ There is no airway tube used in IV sedation.

IV sedation will make you feel calm, intensely relaxed and at ease for the entire duration of the dental procedure. You will be put into a drowsy, dream-like state of sleep.

The medication used will produce a mild state of amnesia. When you ‘wake up’, you will have no memory or recollection of the entire procedure, and it will feel like no time has passed.

After the Procedure

Due to some prolonged drowsiness after treatment, it is necessary for somebody to take you home and stay with you for the rest of the day.

Inhalation Sedation

Inhalation sedation is also called relative anaesthesia, happy gas, or laughing gas. It involves the use of nitrous oxide gas mixed with oxygen which is breathed in through the nose. It is administered quickly and easily by our experienced team through a small mask or nasal cannula.

This method of sedation provides a calm and relaxed state of mind for the duration of the procedure. You will generally experience a warm, pleasant, floating feeling. However, you will remain conscious, in control of your reflexes, and able to understand and respond to instructions.

The use of inhalation sedation is simple, effective and rapid. The gas only takes a few minutes to take effect and is easily reversed. Once reversed, the sedative wears off quickly with no lingering drowsiness or other side effects. Therefore, there is no inconvenience caused and you are able to drive a vehicle and go home or back to work on your own after the procedure.

Nitrous oxide has no smell or colour and doesn’t irritate the airways. It can be provided to both adults and children. For children we can use scented masks (e.g. vanilla, strawberry or orange flavour) to make it a more pleasant experience.

Oral sedation, also called “conscious sedation,” involves you taking a prescribed dose of sedative before your procedure. Depending on your case, you may take one pill the night before, and one pill an hour before you have the procedure, or otherwise as directed by your dentist or doctor. This type of sedation leaves you awake for the procedure, but significantly relaxes you. Patients who have higher levels of anxiety often benefit from this type of dentistry.

Though you’re awake during your procedure, most patients remember either very little or nothing at all of the appointment after it’s happened. Depending on your case, while you’re under oral sedation, you may be hooked up to equipment that monitors your heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing, or you may not require that kind of monitoring. It depends on factors which your dentist will determine. The sedative will leave you feeling sleepy, but by the next day all the effects will have worn off. You’ll need a ride home from the dentist, though, so plan with a friend or family member in advance.

How Much Does It Cost?

Sleep dentistry may be much more affordable than you think.  The convenience of having all your dental work done under sedation in one visit, together with the comfort of knowing you won’t feel or remember anything afterwards make sleep dentistry the first choice for many of our patients.

Our experienced dental sedationists charge on average $550 – $990 depending on the length of sedation and the dental treatment required.  Costs may be less or more depending on the amount of dental work to be done. Some of the fees are bulk billed.