Dental anxieties are no longer a hindrance to dental treatments or dental visits, thanks to sleep dentistry and IV sedation. Dental anxiety is not uncommon for people to evade timely dental treatments. This is why our caring dentists at The Glenroy Dental Group offer methods like sleep dentistry and IV sedation to make the treatment session comfortable. Sleep dentistry and IV sedation both use medication that help the patient to experience a state of deep relaxation. The two are often considered to be the same but, there is a difference between them. 

What is IV Sedation? 

Sedation dentistry is often referred to as sleep dentistry which is not entirely correct. In sedation dentistry, our dentists use medication to sedate the patient that allows them to stay awake. The patients go into a state of deep relaxation, which causes them to slur, and they don’t have much memories of the procedure. IV sedation is one of the ways that our dentist may use to treat your condition. Our dentist administers the sedation through your vein or intravenously. Besides IV sedation, you also have the option to use oral sedatives or Nitrous Oxide (happy gas). IV sedation, Nitrous oxide, and oral sedatives together come under sedation dentistry. IV sedation is preferred by several patients because it shows its effect almost instantly. 

What is Sleep Dentistry?

Sleep dentistry uses general anaesthesia to put the patients in a state of sleep. The patient is completely unconscious and doesn’t have any memories of the oral procedure conducted. Our dentists usually recommend sleep dentistry to patients with special needs or those with challenging behaviour. However, a pre-operative detailed assessment is performed by our dentists and anaesthesia experts to understand their medical history before they can proceed with its application.

Difference Between IV Sedation and Sleep Dentistry

IV sedation and sleep dentistry are both ways to help the patient relax and overcome dental anxiety. As mentioned above, IV sedation relaxes the muscles and puts the patient in a sleep like state, yet conscious where the patient is able to answer the dentist in the form of a nod or even a reply (may slur). They do remember that they were being treated by our dentist. Sleep dentistry causes the patient to remain unconscious and they do not remember anything about their procedure when they wake up. 

The type of sedation is selected by our dentist after they have diagnosed your condition. Besides the level of a patient’s anxiety, the severity of their condition and the duration of the treatment are considered before finalizing the type of sedation to be used. 

When Should IV Sedation and Sleep Dentistry be Used?

As discussed, our dentists usually decide about the method of sedation after they conduct a diagnosis of the patient’s oral health. However, sedation dentistry is often used for conducting basic dental cleaning and similar non-invasive procedures. Sleep dentistry, on the other hand, is preferred when performing invasive procedures or when the patient suffers from extreme dental anxiety. 

The Glenroy Dental Group for All Types of Oral Solutions 

At The Glenroy Dental Group our excellent dentists will take care of you and your family’s oral health. We consider your oral health to be our priority. 

You can book a dental appointment online with us or reach out to us on the below contact details:

The Glenroy Dental Group

Address: 483 Pascoe Vale Road Strathmore 3041

Phone Number: (03) 9306 6511