Dental Sedation | NZ Society for Sedation in Dentistry

Welcome to NZSSD… The New Zealand Society for Anaesthesia and Sedation in Dentistry. Learn more about dental sedation or find a sedation dentist near you.

What is sedation?

Sedation is the action of administering a sedative drug to produce a state of calm or sleep.

What is dental sedation?

A dental practitioner uses conscious procedural sedation to induce a state that removes anxiety and/or allows the patient to tolerate unpleasant procedures.

Dental sedation uses inhaled gas, oral medication or IV infusion.

Further reading: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oral_sedation_dentistry

What is conscious sedation?

After administering an IV sedative, the patient becomes very relaxed and drowsy, often to the point of thinking they have been asleep (unconscious) during treatment. This is a result of the amnesia (forgetfulness) effect of the sedative agents. In fact, the patient has not been unconscious (as is the case with a general anaesthetic), merely sedated, which is why it is described as “conscious sedation”.

Conscious dental sedation is a an effective technique for taking the fear out of dentistry and making it possible to handle unpleasant dental procedures.

Risk management

Your dentist will ask about your medical history, your health, and what medicines or tablets you are taking. All must be taken into account when considering sedation and to design an appropriate sedation procedure.

Anxiety and fear

Anxiety and fear in relation to dental procedures is more common than you might think – and the reasons are many. With fear comes avoidance but if dental issues are left unaddressed, this can have serious long-term health implications.

For many people even the idea of a routine dental check-up can feel utterly overwhelming and create feelings of shame.

Sedation in dentistry is about providing people with a respectful, comfortable and non-threatening dental experience. It allows people to move forward, beyond fear and avoidance, to take care of their dental health.

The New Zealand Society for Anaesthesia and Sedation in Dentistry Inc. promotes best practices and the safe use of sedation in dentistry. We provide information for patients and ongoing education for dentists.