Sedation Dentistry and General Anaesthesia

If you feel fear or anxiety around your dental appointments, you are not alone. Unfortunately, dental anxiety often keeps patients from getting the treatments they need for their oral health and a healthy smile. That’s why we offer sedation dentistry at our Warners Bay dental clinic to help patients with anxiety or phobias, extensive treatment plans or special needs comfortably receive their dental care.

With nitrous oxide, IV sedation, and general anaesthetic (GA) sedation options available, we offer various levels of dental sedation at SmilesHQ to tailor treatment plans to each patient’s unique needs.

Our Comfort and Sedation Options

At SmilesHQ, we provide several ways to help manage discomfort and anxiety, tailored to your specific needs:

• Topical Anaesthetic: A numbing gel applied to the gums prior to local anaesthetic injections to help minimise the initial sensation.
• Nitrous Oxide (Happy Gas): An inhaled gas that induces a mild, relaxed feeling. It is fast-acting and wears off quickly, making it suitable for both adults and children.
• Penthrox (The Green Whistle): A portable, handheld inhaler used for rapid pain relief and anxiety reduction during short procedures.
• IV Sedation: Administered by a qualified visiting doctor, this 'twilight' sedation induces a deep state of relaxation while you remain conscious.
• General Anaesthesia (GA): Performed at a local hospital, this option allows you to be completely unconscious for the duration of your treatment under the care of an anaesthetist.

Also called ‘happy’ or ‘laughing’ gas, nitrous oxide helps ‘take the edge off’ during treatment procedures. Quick-acting and relaxing, laughing gas is safe for adults and children and leaves your system quickly, so you can resume your normal activities after your dental care.   

Nitrous oxide doesn’t typically leave you with lingering side effects, and it’s safe for adults to drive after they complete treatment with it.

IV Sedation in Warners Bay

Our dentists work with Dr Katherine Barrett for IV sedation. Dr Barrett is a registered dentist with a specialist qualification in Dental Sedation. She is endorsed by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA) and the Dental Board of Australia to provide IV sedation.

This type of sedation delivers medication intravenously through a small plastic tube placed in your arm or hand. As your sedationist, Dr Barrett monitors your heart rate and vital signs throughout your procedures and can adjust medication levels as needed.

During IV sedation, you will be deeply relaxed as if you were sleeping, yet you’ll still be responsive throughout your care. Most patients have little to no memory of the appointment due to the nature of the medication.

Dr Barrett guides you through the process from start to finish, including pre-treatment instructions and what to expect during your recovery. IV sedation requires that you arrange transport to and from your dental appointment.

Sleep Dentistry in Warners Bay

General anaesthetic, also called ‘sleep dentistry’ is delivered to patients in a hospital setting. Our dentists perform the treatment procedures while a specialist anaesthetist administers medication to help the patient feel deeply relaxed, as if asleep.

Our team guides you through the process from start to finish, and treatment takes place in a local hospital, where you’ll recover for a short time afterwards. Patients will need arranged transportation to and from their appointment, as it’s not safe for them to drive afterwards.

Talk with Our Team

Your SmilesHQ team is happy to answer all of your questions about sedation dentistry when you call us on (02) 4062 0705.