Our patient John from Melton is getting his All On 4 Plus® dental implants soon, and he wants to learn more about general anaesthetic and twilight Sedation. He has a bit of dental anxiety so he thought these might help him during the procedure, but wasn’t sure which one is right for him. Since this is such a common question, I thought it would be helpful to make a video about it.

I would like to first cover why a patient might choose one of these dental solutions. Thanks to modern technologies, most dental treatments create very little to no discomfort at all. However, some patients may have had a bad experience in the past that affects their current ability to follow through with dental treatments.

They may have had a treatment many many years ago that caused pain, or it is possible they had a toothache and left it untreated until they needed extensive treatment. This could make them associate dental treatments with pain.

There are also patients who have phobias that prevent them from seeking dental treatments. This could include a fear of the dentist, fear of needles, fear of a medical office or even a fear of losing control. These are all forms of dental anxiety that can be helped with general anaesthetic or twilight sedation. Now let’s see what the difference is.

General anaesthetic is a term for when medication is used by a specialist anaesthetist to help the patient fall asleep, leaving them completely unaware of the treatment taking place. This can alleviate a lot of fears since the patient does not have to deal with dental needles, office noises or any discomfort.

At the same time, the dentist can relax and work without interruption, so the procedures often go quicker when the patient is asleep. This state is often induced with an IV drip while the patient is monitored during the entire treatment. Some dental clinics like ours at Dental House will have access to a clinical setting to do this, or you might see an oral surgeon at the hospital.

Twilight sedation is when the patient is in a deep state of relaxation, or what some might call a twilight state. The patient can often remain responsive and still communicate with the dentist, which is sometimes beneficial in cosmetic or regenerative dentistry. Twilight sedation may be induced with medications like sedatives.

Dental fears and phobias are very real and we take them seriously here at Dental House. Our goal is to ensure all of our patients enjoy a low-stress dental treatment that is as comfortable as possible, because leaving dental conditions untreated can cause serious health problems and pain.

I hope this video gave you a better understanding between general anaesthetic vs twilight dentistry. If dental fear has been holding you back to getting dental work done, we can help.

Here at Dental House Group, we partner with specialist anaesthetists to offer both twilight sedation and general anaesthetic, our team are also trained to be extra gentle to make your experience as pleasant as possible.

Simply give us a call on 1800 467 526, fill in the form on our website, or DM us on social media, and our friendly team will help you organise your consultation.

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The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional personal diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your dentist or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a dental or medical condition. Never disregard professional advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read or seen on the Site.

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