IV sedation dentist

[Robert 09]

My friend recently had a wisdom tooth removed by his dentist under IV sedation. He was very happy that he did not feel anything of the ‘fearful’ wisdom tooth extraction because he is very needle-phobic and hates the dental drill.

As I mentioned, he was administered the sedation though the Intravenous needles and subsequently he went into a deep sleep and the time he remembers is when he woke up in the recovery room and everything was finished.

Could you tell me how IV sedation is different to general anaesthetic? I would like to have my wisdom teeth removed because they cause me a lot of problems but I am considering sedation versus general anaesthetic and don’t know which will be a better option for me. Obvioulsy I know that GA will cost a lot more.

Please advise.

[Dr Vahid Motahar]

Hi,

Thank you for your question.

When one has IV sedation they are conscious and are able to talk and will respond to commands and request made y the dentist. With GA this is not the case and you are fully unconscious and you cannot communicate or respond to demands.

The option is to see what is needed , how many teeth need to be extracted and how complicated the procedure is which needs to be done by clinical assessment and we would be happy to do it for you.