ADORE DENTAL | KANGAROO POINT, BRISBANE
There's no wrong way to feel about the dentist.
What we can do if appointments are hard for you.
OR CALL 07 3532 8604 | OPEN MONDAY TO SATURDAY, FROM 7:30AM
Before anything else
Most of it isn't sedation.
Most of what makes an appointment easier costs nothing and involves no medication at all.
If dental appointments are difficult for you, sedation is one option among several, and it is rarely the first thing we reach for. A lot of what makes an appointment hard is the sense of not knowing what is happening, or of not being able to stop. Those are things we can change without any medication at all. Tell us at the start and we will work around it.
Tell us first →
Say it when you book, or write it on your form, or tell reception when you arrive. It is not an unusual thing to say and it changes how we run the appointment. If there is something specific, a sound, a smell, an instrument, a previous experience, we would rather know.
A signal to stop →
Agree one with your dentist before we start, usually a raised hand. When you use it we stop. Not at the end of what we are doing, at the point you raise your hand.
Knowing what comes next →
We can talk you through each step before it happens, or say nothing at all and just get on with it, whichever you prefer. Some people want the running commentary and some want the opposite. Both are fine.
Shorter or longer appointments →
Some people would rather get everything done in one longer visit. Others would rather break it into shorter ones. We can plan treatment either way.
When you come in →
First appointment of the day means less time sitting with it beforehand. If waiting is the hard part, ask for an early slot.
Just a look, nothing else →
You can book a visit where nothing is done. No instruments, no treatment, just a conversation and a look at what is going on. If that is where you need to start, start there.
If you need more
Sedation options.
Assessed against your medical history, never offered as a standard add-on.
Local anaesthetic and happy gas are provided here. Twilight sedation and general anaesthetic come via an independent specialist anaesthetic team, quoted separately. We do not offer oral sedation. Suitability is assessed at a consultation, and every option carries its own risks and considerations.Sedation is assessed and quoted separately from the treatment itself, and it carries its own risks and considerations.
TWILIGHT SEDATION →
Given through a drip by an independent specialist anaesthetic team who come into the clinic, not by your dentist. You are not unconscious but you are unlikely to remember much of the appointment. It requires fasting beforehand, an escort home, and someone with you for the rest of the day. It is arranged separately and quoted separately, and their fee is billed by them.
GENERAL ANAESTHETIC →
Fully asleep, under the care of a specialist anaesthetist. This is arranged with the same independent team and involves its own fee, its own consent process and its own requirements before and after. It is reserved for cases where it is genuinely the right call.
LOCAL ANAESTHETIC →
Used for anything that needs it, at every appointment, whether or not you have sedation. The area is numbed and we check the numbing has taken before we start. If you feel something during treatment, use your stop signal and we will stop and add more.
HAPPY GAS →
Breathed in through a small nosepiece and provided here by us, as part of your appointment. It takes the edge off without putting you to sleep: you stay awake and able to talk to us throughout, and it clears quickly once the nosepiece comes off. It works alongside local anaesthetic rather than instead of it.
The usual effects are light-headedness, tingling in the hands or feet, and occasionally nausea. It is not suitable for everyone, including where you cannot breathe comfortably through your nose, and we will check whether it suits you before your appointment.
What sedation doesn't change.
Sedation is not a substitute for local anaesthetic. You will still be numbed for anything that needs it. Sedation changes how aware you are, not what the appointment involves.
It does not remove the conditions attached to it. Twilight sedation and general anaesthetic need fasting, a medical history, a driver and someone with you afterwards, and if those cannot be arranged, sedation cannot go ahead that day. Happy gas asks much less.
And it does not treat the anxiety itself, it gets you through an appointment. If dental visits have been hard for a long time, that is worth talking to your GP or a psychologist about alongside the dental treatment, not instead of it.
How it is quoted.
Happy gas is quoted by us, as part of your treatment. Twilight sedation and general anaesthetic are assessed and quoted separately, and where they are provided by the independent anaesthetic team their fee is separate again and is billed by them.
Health fund cover for sedation varies and some plans do not cover it at all. We can give you the item numbers so you can check with your fund before you commit.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
COMMON QUESTIONS.
The things people ask before they book, answered plainly.
Will you think I'm being difficult?
No. It comes up often enough that we plan for it. Telling us is the most useful thing you can do, and it takes thirty seconds.
I haven't been to a dentist in years. Is that a problem?
It is a very common reason people put it off further. We have written about what that first visit back actually involves in our journal. The short version is that the first appointment is a look and a conversation, and nothing gets done that you have not agreed to.
Can I bring someone with me?
Yes. Someone in the room, or in the waiting area, whichever helps.
Will I feel everything?
Local anaesthetic is used for anything that needs it, and we check that you are numb before starting. If you feel something during treatment, use your stop signal and we will stop and add more.
Is sedation safe?
Sedation carries risks, which is why it is assessed against your medical history rather than offered as a standard add-on. Those risks are set out in our risks and considerations, and the practitioner providing it will go through them with you before you consent.
Can I have sedation for a check-up?
Happy gas can be, where it helps you get through the appointment. Twilight sedation and general anaesthetic are usually not proportionate to a check-up, though there are exceptions. It is a conversation to have at a consultation.
CONTACT US
GET IN TOUCH WITH US.
Whether you're ready to book or just curious, we'd love to hear from you. We'll get back to you as soon as possible.