Sleep Dentistry Adelaide
Sleep dentistry in Adelaide, for the dental work you’ve been putting off
Sleep dentistry is dental treatment carried out while you’re sedated, so you’re deeply relaxed and usually remember little of the appointment. At Avenue Dental Adelaide in Fulham Gardens, you can have oral sedation, a tablet prescribed by your dentist, or IV sedation given and monitored by a visiting anaesthetist. Local anaesthetic is used with both, so the treatment itself isn’t felt.
It’s for anyone whose nerves, gag reflex, fear of needles or long treatment plan has kept the dentist out of reach. Your first visit is a consultation, with time to talk it through before anything is decided.
The short version
Sleep dentistry in Adelaide at a glance
What it is
Dental treatment under sedation, with local anaesthetic, so you’re relaxed and remember little of it.
Options in Adelaide
Oral sedation and IV sedation, both at our Fulham Gardens practice.
Who looks after you
Your dentist and dental team, plus a visiting anaesthetist who monitors you throughout IV sedation.
Sleep dentistry cost
Treatment is quoted in a written plan. The anaesthetist quotes their fee separately, per hour, before you book.
First step
A consultation and examination. Sedation is only booked once you’ve been assessed.
Getting home
You can’t drive afterwards. Someone needs to take you home and stay with you.
Oral sedation vs IV sedation: what’s the difference?
“Sleep dentistry” and “sedation dentistry” are often used to mean the same thing. In a dental practice they usually describe one of two levels of sedation, and neither one is a general anaesthetic. Here’s how they compare.
Swipe to compare
| Oral sedation | IV sedation | |
|---|---|---|
| How it’s given | A tablet prescribed by your dentist, taken before your appointment | Through a small cannula in your hand or arm, by an anaesthetist |
| How you’ll feel | Calm, drowsy and detached, but awake | Deeply relaxed and largely unaware of the treatment |
| What you’ll remember | Usually a hazy version of the visit | Usually little or nothing |
| Who monitors you | Your dentist and dental team | A visiting anaesthetist, for the whole appointment |
| Often used for | Check-ups, cleans, fillings and shorter treatment | Wisdom teeth, dental implants, longer appointments and several treatments in one visit |
| Afterwards | No driving, and someone with you | No driving, and someone with you for the rest of the day |
General anaesthetic, where you’re fully unconscious, is a different thing again. If it’s the more appropriate option for you, your dentist will explain why and talk you through the next steps.
Nervous and anxious patients
Sleep dentistry for nervous patients in Adelaide
There’s rarely one reason. These are the ones we hear most often at Fulham Gardens, and you may recognise more than one.
01
It’s been years since your last visit
The longer the gap, the bigger the dread. Sedation can make the first visit back feel manageable, and the consultation always comes first.
02
Wisdom teeth that need to come out
One of the most common reasons people ask. Whether yours can be removed in the chair under sedation is assessed with an X-ray first.
03
A gag reflex you can’t switch off
Scans, X-rays and back-tooth work can be hard to get through. Sedation can settle the reflex along with the nerves that usually come with it.
04
Needles
With oral sedation, the local anaesthetic is given once you’re already relaxed. With IV sedation, the cannula is usually the only needle you’ll be aware of.
05
A lot of treatment to get through
Work that might take several visits can often be grouped into fewer, longer appointments under sedation, including dental implants and full mouth treatment.
06
A past visit that stayed with you
If something went badly before, tell us. It changes how your appointment is planned, and you set the pace from the first conversation.
Swipe or scroll for more →
Sedation is a clinical decision, made after your dentist has assessed your health, medications and the treatment planned. For IV sedation, the anaesthetist has the final say. These are common reasons people ask, not a recommendation.
Your IV and oral sedation appointment at Avenue Dental Adelaide, step by step
Knowing the order of things takes a lot of the unknown out of it.
STEP 1
Talk it through
A consultation and examination at Fulham Gardens. Nothing is done to your teeth unless you want it to be.
STEP 2
Get assessed
Your dentist reviews your health and medications. For IV sedation, the anaesthetist’s team assesses you directly and confirms whether it’s suitable.
STEP 3
Costs in writing
A written treatment plan, the anaesthetist’s quote if IV is planned, and clear instructions on fasting, medications and getting home.
STEP 4
The appointment
Someone brings you in. You’re sedated, local anaesthetic is used as normal, and you’re monitored the whole time.
STEP 5
Home to rest
You recover at the practice, then your companion takes you home for a quiet afternoon. We check in with you the next day.
Is sleep dentistry safe?
For suitable patients, with appropriate monitoring and the pre-appointment instructions followed, sedation is a well-established part of dental care. Each part of that sentence matters, which is why the assessment always comes before the booking.
With both oral and IV sedation you breathe on your own and can be roused if needed. During IV sedation the anaesthetist’s only focus is you, watching your breathing, heart rate and oxygen levels while your dentist focuses on the treatment.
All treatment and all sedation carry risks, and yours will be explained before you consent. Read about treatment risks.
What’s checked before sedation is booked
- Your medical history and current medications
- Heart, lung or airway conditions, including sleep apnoea
- Pregnancy
- Any past reactions to sedation or anaesthetic
- Your weight and general health
- The treatment planned and how long it will take
If sedation isn’t right for you, you’ll be told why and what else is available.
How much does sleep dentistry cost in Adelaide?
The cost has two parts. Your dental treatment is quoted in a written plan after your consultation. Sedation is separate: oral sedation is a prescription from your dentist, while IV sedation is charged by the visiting anaesthetist, quoted per hour based on how long the appointment is expected to take. You’ll receive both figures after your consultation and examination.
Spread the cost
Payment plans
Start your treatment now and spread the cost of the dental work over time. Payment plans are available through Humm, with approval and terms assessed by Humm.
Claiming
Health funds and Medicare
If you have extras cover, the dental treatment is claimed as usual. If you’re paying for it, use it. Some anaesthetist services attract a Medicare rebate and some funds contribute, depending on the treatment. Ask the anaesthetist’s team for the item numbers, then check with your fund.
Why choose Avenue Dental as your sleep dentist in Adelaide
A sleep dentistry clinic on Adelaide’s west side, run by locals, with the time and the setup to do sedation properly.
Locally owned, not a corporate
Fulham Gardens is led by a managing partner who’s in the practice every day, with a team who live locally. Supporting us supports an Adelaide business.
Assessed first, booked second
Sedation is never booked over the phone. It’s arranged once your dentist, and for IV the anaesthetist’s team, have confirmed it’s appropriate for you.
7am starts
Sedation appointments booked first thing mean a shorter fast and less time sitting with the nerves. Consultations are available on Saturday mornings too.
Easy for whoever’s driving
We’re inside the shopping centre on Tapleys Hill Road with plenty of parking, so your lift home can wait nearby while you’re in the chair.
The same dentist start to finish
The dentist you meet at your consultation is the one who treats you, so the face you see on the day is already familiar.
80+ awards since 1990
Avenue Dental has been recognised more than 80 times for customer service, business excellence and team culture since the group began in 1990.
Sleep sedation for nervous patients
Plenty of people who ask about sleep dentistry don’t have anything complicated wrong with their teeth. What they have is years of not going: a bad experience as a child, a dentist who didn’t stop when asked, a gag reflex that made every visit humiliating, or nerves that build for a week before an appointment and win. If that’s you, you’re not being dramatic, and you don’t have to explain yourself.
Tell us when you book that you’re nervous. Your first visit will be a conversation, you can bring someone with you, you’ll agree a stop signal before anything happens, and nothing will be done that day unless you want it to be. Sedation is one of the tools we have for making treatment possible; it’s often the conversation beforehand that does the most.
The information on this page is general in nature and does not constitute clinical advice. Individual suitability, treatment and costs depend on an assessment specific to you. Before proceeding, seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner. View treatment risks here.
Your questions
Sleep dentistry Adelaide: frequently asked questions
What is sleep dentistry?
Sleep dentistry is dental treatment carried out under sedation. You’re deeply relaxed, often drowsy, and usually remember little of the appointment. Local anaesthetic is still used, so the treatment itself isn’t felt. At Avenue Dental Adelaide it’s available as oral sedation or IV sedation, depending on your health and the treatment you need.
How much does sleep dentistry cost in Adelaide?
Sleep dentistry cost depends on two things: the dental treatment you need, and the type and length of sedation. Treatment is quoted in a written plan after your consultation. Oral sedation is prescribed by your dentist, and IV sedation is charged separately by the anaesthetist at an hourly rate. You’ll know your full sleep dentistry price after your consultation and examination.
Is sleep dentistry expensive?
It adds a cost on top of the treatment, mainly when an anaesthetist is involved for IV sedation. For some people it also means fewer appointments, because more work can be done in one visit. Payment plans are available for the dental treatment, and your health fund may contribute depending on your cover.
Will I be completely asleep?
Not in the way a general anaesthetic puts you to sleep. With IV sedation you’re deeply relaxed and most people remember little or nothing, but you keep breathing on your own and can be roused. With oral sedation you’re awake but calm and detached. The name “sleep dentistry” comes from how it feels afterwards.
Is there a dentist in Adelaide that puts you to sleep?
Avenue Dental in Fulham Gardens offers sedation dentistry, which is what most people mean when they search for a dentist that puts you to sleep. IV sedation leaves most people with little or no memory of the appointment. If you specifically need a general anaesthetic, your dentist will discuss whether it’s appropriate and what the next steps are.
Is sleep dentistry the same as sleep apnoea treatment?
No, the two often get mixed up in search results. Sleep dentistry means having dental treatment while sedated. Sleep apnoea is a breathing condition that happens during sleep, and is sometimes managed with a dental appliance. This page is about sedation for dental treatment.
Can I have my wisdom teeth out under sedation in Adelaide?
Often, yes. Wisdom teeth removal is one of the most common treatments done under sedation at Fulham Gardens. Your dentist takes an X-ray first to see how the teeth are positioned, then talks you through whether they can be removed in the chair and which level of sedation suits.
Do you offer happy gas?
Our Adelaide practice doesn’t offer happy gas (nitrous oxide). Sedation at Fulham Gardens is oral sedation or IV sedation. If your nerves are on the milder side, oral sedation is often discussed as the lighter option, and your dentist will talk you through what suits you.
Does Medicare cover sleep dentistry?
Dental treatment itself isn’t generally covered by Medicare for adults. Some anaesthetist services do attract a Medicare rebate, depending on the treatment and your circumstances. The anaesthetist’s team can give you the item numbers with your quote, so you can check with Medicare and your health fund before you book.
Will I feel any pain?
Local anaesthetic numbs the area being treated with both oral and IV sedation, so the treatment itself isn’t felt. Sedation adds calm on top: you’re less aware of the sounds and sensations, and with IV sedation you’re unlikely to remember it. Some tenderness afterwards is normal depending on the treatment, and you’ll have aftercare instructions.
When can I go back to work?
Plan to have the rest of the day off. After IV sedation you rest at the practice until the anaesthetist is happy for you to leave, usually within an hour, and most people feel back to normal the next morning. Avoid driving, work, alcohol and important decisions until then. Recovery from the dental treatment itself depends on what was done.
Do I need a referral?
No. You can book a consultation directly, online or by phone. If you’ve been referred by another dentist, bring any X-rays or notes you have.
Can I bring someone with me to the consultation?
Yes, and plenty of people do. It’s also a good chance for the person driving you on the day to hear the instructions first-hand.
I’m too nervous to even call. What should I do?
Book online instead and add a note that you’re an anxious patient. The team will see it before you arrive, and your first visit will be a conversation at your pace.
Any surgical or invasive procedure carries risks. The information on this page is general in nature and does not constitute clinical advice. Individual suitability, treatment and costs depend on an assessment specific to you. Before proceeding, seek a second opinion from an appropriately qualified health practitioner. View treatment risks here.
Flexible payment plans
At Avenue Dental on the Sunshine Coast, Brisbane, Adelaide and Melbourne, we understand that dental treatment can be difficult to fit into your budget, which is why we offer a range of different dental payment plan options.
