Overview

Inhalation sedation is a type of sedation where you breathe in a gas that helps you feel calm and relaxed during your dental treatment.

Even people who do not feel anxious about dental treatment choose to have sedation for uncomfortable procedures such as extractions (removal of a tooth).

When you are relaxed, we might you a local anaesthetic injection that makes your mouth numb. This is not a general anaesthetic. You will still be awake for your treatment. 

You might want to bring a responsible adult with you to your appointment, but this is not always needed. The dentist tells you if you need to have an adult with you to take you home. Many people like to bring a friend with them. 

Benefits of inhalation sedation

Sedation by breathing a sedative gas will help you cope with dental treatment and reduce your anxiety.

Even people who do not feel anxious about dental treatment choose to have sedation for uncomfortable procedures such as extractions (removal of a tooth). 

Risks of inhalation sedation

Inhalation sedation is very safe.

As you breathe in the gas, you might feel dizzy or light-headed. If you feel uncomfortable, please tell the dental team.

We give you oxygen to breathe at the end of the treatment. This helps you to feel more alert.

Your medical team will speak to you about any risks in more detail when you sign the consent form.

Other treatment options

The alternatives to this type of sedation are: 

• intravenous sedation
• local anaesthetic (with no sedation)
• a general anaesthetic

Intravenous sedation involves giving you an injection of a sedative medicine through a thin plastic tube (cannula) into a vein in your arm or hand.

Treatment under a local anaesthetic will involve an injection into your gum so that there will be no pain, but you will be conscious during treatment.

A general anaesthetic is medicine that causes you to be temporarily unconscious (asleep), so you do not feel anything during the procedure. There are more risks with having a general anaesthetic. It is for people who are unable to have treatment under sedation, or people who need a lot of treatment.

You can read our information about sedation options for dental treatment to find out more. 

Giving your permission (consent)

We want to involve you in decisions about your care and treatment. If you decide to have the procedure or treatment, we will ask you to sign a consent form. This says that you understand what is involved and agree to have the treatment.

Read more about our consent process.

Preparing for your treatment

Your medicines

We review your medicines before your appointment. We explain if you need to stop any of them for a short time before your treatment.

Please take your regular medicines as usual, unless we tell you not to. Tell your dentist or nurse if you have allergies to any medicines.

Eating and drinking

You do not need to stop eating or drinking (fasting) before inhalation sedation. Have a light meal before your appointment. 

Having inhalation sedation

Your dentist will explain the planned treatment and check that you understand what will happen. The dental nurse might take your blood pressure.

We ask you to lie back in the dental chair and place a mask over your nose. The dentist then gives the sedation gas slowly and asks you to relax. We monitor your breathing and how relaxed you are during the treatment.

Your dentist might give you an injection of local anaesthetic. You might get a slight stinging feeling when you have a local anaesthetic, but then the area should become numb, so that you do not feel pain. Please tell your dental team if you feel any discomfort.

After treatment

At the end of the treatment, you might feel relaxed and unsteady on your feet. Because of this, you cannot leave hospital until the dentist or dental nurse has checked you. Most people can leave hospital right after this. 

If needed, you may be taken to the recovery area, but this is usually only for about 10 minutes. 

Recovering from sedation

For your safety, it's important that you follow this advice when you leave hospital.

For 2 hours after your treatment 

Follow up appointment

If you need a follow-up appointment, your dentist or dental nurse will let you know. The reception team might give you an appointment. Otherwise, we put your name on the waiting list and send you a letter when an appointment is available.