Oral Conscious Sedation

Even so, we know patients may still feel anxious or fearful at the thought of receiving dental care. When this is the case, Dr. Bentham can provide oral conscious sedation to ensure the entire experience feels more comfortable and relaxing, effectively managing dental fears, stress and anxieties.

What is Oral Conscious Sedation?

With oral conscious sedation, we give you a pill to take around an hour before treatment. We use Triazolam (Halcion), a very safe, short-acting benzodiazepine related to valium, suitable for moderate-length procedures lasting an hour or two.

If you need longer treatment, we can safely give you an extra dose. Dr.Bentham can tailor the dosage to provide a mild or more moderate level of sedation, depending on your level of anxiety and the treatment needed.

What to expect with Oral Conscious Sedation

Triazolam has a calming effect, making you feel much less anxious and relaxed as the pill takes effect. You will remain awake during treatment and able to communicate with our team but will not be fully aware of what is happening.

Triazolam has amnesiac qualities, which is a nice side-effect, meaning afterwards, you will remember very little about your treatment, so your visit is far less stressful.

Note that you cannot drive after oral sedation, so you will need a friend or family member to take you home.

Who should consider Oral Conscious Sedation?

Oral conscious sedation can help people who find ongoing preventive dentistry hard to tolerate or need lengthier treatment to restore oral health.

Sedation dentistry can help anyone delaying dental care because of anxiety or fear or who finds the thought of seeing a dentist a little overwhelming. It can reduce a strong gag reflex, ensuring it is far more comfortable to receive dental care.

Oral sedation can help people with a fear of needles, as it takes effect before Dr. Bentham administers a local anesthetic, ensuring treatment is pain-free.

How safe is Oral Conscious Sedation?

All sedation carries a small level of risk, but Triazolam is widely used and very safe. We review your medical history carefully beforehand to ensure this treatment is appropriate.

We monitor you closely while in the dental chair and will keep you with us for a short while afterwards to make sure it is absolutely safe for you to go home and rest.

Using oral conscious sedation allows our patients to have a more pleasant and relaxing treatment. A more positive experience in the dental chair can make it easier to see a dentist in the future, overcoming anxieties and receiving regular ongoing preventive dentistry.

If you find it difficult to see a dentist, don’t hesitate to contact Bentham Dental and talk to our friendly team.