Dental implants at Warrendale Dental – Twilight sedation
By local clinic standards and in many patients’ eyes, dental implants in Herefordshire are a fairly invasive procedure. Let’s talk about the sedation that is available at our clinic and how we use it!
Patients who are considering dental implants Herefordshire are often concerned about how invasive the procedure is. The idea of their gum being opened and the potential drilling occurring into their jawbone is understandably unsettling. However, these were some of the main hurdles that prevented oral implants from being performed in local dental surgeries. Originally, components were performed without sedation; this necessitated an anesthesiologist the necessary equipment and therefore a full operating theatre in order to carry out the procedure. By surgical standards dental implants Herefordshire is an extremely minor surgery and it was always seen as wasteful to use a full theatre and hospital facilities.
IV Twilight sedation
What allowed implanting to start in clinics was a technique improvement as well as drug development to provide local anaesthesia that was safe and reliable enough to be used without the supervision of an anesthesiologist.
In our clinic, we offer IV twilight sedation. This is a level of sedation in between the local numbing used in most dental procedures and the full sedation associated with surgical operations. Sedatives are injected directly into your bloodstream via the large vein on the inside of your arm, allowing sedation to take effect a few seconds after injection.
During twilight sedation, you are mostly unaware of your surroundings, completely unaware of discomfort but still capable of sensing the world around you and responding to suggestions. You can be asked questions and give answers but it is highly unlikely that you will remember anything that occurred under twilight sedation apart from a calm warm sensation. It is very important that you have a trusted escort when planning to receive this kind of sedation as patients become extremely susceptible. You will not be able to operate heavy machinery for 24-hours afterwards and you should avoid making any significant financial decisions or taking actions with long-term consequences.
Twilight sedation is extremely safe; the drug used has a very wide therapeutic index and although it is unlikely it will be needed, we can provide additional dosages during the procedure as and when required. Due to possible drug interactions, it’s important for you to tell your dentist what prescription medication you may be taking.
Discomfort free dentistry
With oral implants, we are committed to discomfort free dentistry. When patients may suffer from anxieties around dentistry, we will consider twilight sedation as an acceptable precaution. Any other patients who have gone through implanting go on to recommend the procedure to friends and family and we see this as a mark of our professionalism and sign that we are succeeding in providing discomfort-free dentistry.
If you have any questions about implants or IV sedation, please feel free to get in contact with our clinic. We would happily answer any of your questions or book you in for a consultation if required. Alternatively, you can use the contact form on our site.