Oral surgery - Sedation for Minor Oral Surgery

Intravenous sedation is used to help relax you during minor surgical procedures:

• The sedative is given by injection into a vein in your arm or the back of your hand
• You will remain awake throughout the procedure, but the sedative may cause drowsiness
• You will also receive local anaesthetic, an injection into your gums
• Afterwards you will probably have little or no memory of the procedure

If you are having intravenous sedation, there are some rules that you must follow for your safety:

• A responsible adult (friend or relative, aged over 18) must stay in the department during your treatment. You are unable to drive home yourself after treatment; you must arrange to go home by car or taxi
• It is the policy of the unit that children are not allowed to attend the appointment with you
• Remember, to tell your oral surgeon before your treatment, of any changes in your medical history, your medication and if you have asthma or any allergies
• Breast feeding mothers should refrain from feeding their baby for 24 hours; it is advisable to express milk prior to treatment

On the day of your treatment:

• You must eat on the day of your appointment. However, you must not eat for 2 hours before your appointment time. For example, if your appointment is at 9:30am, this means you will need to eat your breakfast before 7:30am. If your appointment time is at 2:30pm you will need to eat your lunch before 12:30pm
• You can sip water to take any medicines as normal unless you have been instructed otherwise
• Do not drink any alcohol or take any recreational drugs
• Patients with angina/asthma, please attend with your spray/ inhalers
• Remove nail polish/gel/acrylic from a fingernail of each hand - not your little finger or thumb nail
• Treatment and recovery time is usually 1-2 hours

After your treatment under sedation:

• The sedative stays in your system for approximately 24 hours
• A responsible adult must escort you home
• Somebody must stay with you for at least 24 hours following the treatment
• Do not drive a car/bike, drink alcohol, use machinery (such as a kettle or a cooker)
• Do not work, make important decisions or sign any legal documents for 24 hours
• You can eat and drink normally as soon as you feel like it
• If you have any pain then do not hesitate to take the painkillers as directed

Risks:

• May affect heart rate and blood pressure
• Unintentional loss of consciousness
• Respiratory depression (when the body does not receive enough oxygen)

If any of the above instructions are not followed, then your treatment will NOT be carried out with sedation.

If you have any concerns or problems, please telephone:

Oral surgery
Appointment enquiries – 0161 206 4100
Pain after treatment - 0161 206 8203/0161 206 4733
Email: oral.surgery2@nca.nhs.uk
Out of hours: Accident & Emergency 0161 206 4841