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Dentist Office

Pre and post sedation

If your patient is unable to comply with, or has any concerns regarding the instructions listed below, please ask him/her to contact the Sedation Solutions office so that we can try to make adjustments to suit their particular requirements or circumstances.

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Instructions to your patient before their sedation appointment:
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  • The patient must arrive 15 minutes before your appointment.

  • Please tell them that they must empty their bladder before the procedure.

  • They should not eat any food for 6 hours before the appointment. We encourage the intake of water for up to 2 hours before your appointment.

  • If they take prescribed medication, please ask them to continue to do so at the usual times, along with a small amount of water, regardless of the restrictions on food intake noted above.

  • Asthma sufferers are requested to bring their inhalers with them, and diabetic patients must bring their blood glucose monitoring devices.

  • Smoking and alcohol intake should be avoided for 24 hours before your appointment. The use of recreational drugs is not permitted for 48 hours prior to treatment.

  • Please ask your patient to arrange for a responsible adult to take them home after the treatment, preferably by car or taxi, and to stay with them for the remainder of the day. If the sedation ends late in the day, it is advised that the escort remains with them until the following morning.

  • They should wear loose-fitting clothing so that we can gain access to the upper arm area in order to apply an electronic blood pressure cuff. Please avoid wearing heavy make-up, nail varnish and jewelery. Wear flat shoes, as you may be slightly unsteady for a short while afterwards.

  • Depending on the nature and duration of the surgery, contact lens wearers might be asked to remove their lenses. Therefore best to bring along their contact lens container, or else wear spectacles if they have.

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What your sedation patient should do afterwards:
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  • The pre-arranged responsible adult (escort) will be required to accompany them home after the procedure, either by car or taxi, or by public transport. The use of underground transport is strongly discouraged.

  • This person will also receive instructions about the aftercare and should ideally remain with the patient until the following morning should the sedation finish in the late afternoon. Guidelines do not allow us to send patients home on their own. Patients must continue to take all regular medication as usual afterwards.

  • The sedation produces a variable degree of temporary amnesia, which usually clears soon after the procedure; however, it sometimes lasts for a few hours in some individuals.

  • No alcohol must be taken for the remainder of the day.

  • Breastfeeding to be avoided for 24 hours afterwards.

  • We do not anticipate any complications, but should they become concerned about anything, however trivial, please ask them to contact their Sedation Solutions sedationist or our office.

  • They are requested to complete the electronic feedback request that will be sent to them on the day after the appointment. This allows us to monitor their recovery.

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It can take up to 24 hours for the sedative drugs to be eliminated from the body and for the patient to fully recover from the effects of sedation (drowsiness, loss of memory, lack of awareness and coordination).
 
Therefore, they must not:
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  • Drive a vehicle (insurance will be void) or cycle

  • Use electrical equipment, cook, or operate machinery

  • Care for children or dependent adults

  • Make important decisions, or sign legal documents

  • Use alcohol, sleeping tablets, tobacco, or recreational drugs

  • Perform any complicated tasks

  • Go back to work on the day of their sedation

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