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If dental anxiety, fear of treatment or a complex dental procedure has been holding you back, IV sedation can help make your dental visit feel calmer and more manageable. Often called twilight sedation, it helps you feel deeply relaxed while your dental team carries out your treatment.

Highland Park Dental Centre is a family-owned dental practice based at 17c Aberfeldy Avenue, Highland Park. We have been caring for patients across East Auckland for more than 35 years, with our experienced dentists offering extensive treatments including general dentistry, emergency dental care, wisdom tooth surgery, root canal treatment, crowns, bridges, veneers, fillings, implant crowns, dentures, hygiene appointments and IV sedation.

Our approach is calm, practical and patient-first. We understand that many people feel nervous about dental visits, especially when treatment involves surgery, extractions, past dental trauma, gagging, needles or fear of pain.

IV sedation gives suitable patients a way to receive necessary dental care in a more relaxed state, while still being carefully monitored by the dental team.

IV sedation may be suitable if you:

Before recommending IV sedation, we will review your medical history, current medications, allergies, existing medical conditions and the type of dental treatment required. This helps us decide whether IV sedation is appropriate for your situation.

IV sedation can be helpful when treatment is more involved or when anxiety makes dental care difficult. At Highland Park Dental Centre, IV sedation may be discussed for:

The aim is to help you feel calmer, more comfortable and better able to complete the treatment you need.

IV sedation is administered through a small cannula, usually placed in the hand or arm. Because the sedative medication goes directly into the bloodstream, the onset is usually quick and the level of sedation can be adjusted during treatment.

During IV sedation, most patients feel:

You will still be able to respond to simple instructions from the dentist, but many patients remember very little about the procedure afterwards.

Patient safety is central to sedation dentistry. Before treatment, we assess your health, medical history, current medications and any factors that may affect sedation.

During your appointment, you will be closely monitored by the dental team. This may include your breathing, oxygen levels, blood pressure, heart rate, comfort and level of sedation.

Before your appointment, we will provide clear instructions so you know what to do before treatment. Your instructions may include guidance around:

When you arrive, the team will confirm your details, review your treatment plan and make sure you are ready to proceed. The IV line is placed, and the sedative medication is given gradually. Most patients begin to feel calm and drowsy within minutes. Once you are relaxed, your dentist will begin the planned dental treatment.

Throughout the appointment, the team will monitor you and keep you comfortable. After the procedure, you will rest in the clinic until you are ready to leave with your support person.

After IV sedation, you may feel drowsy, tired, light-headed or slightly disoriented for several hours. Some patients remember very little about the appointment. This is expected. For the rest of the day, you should avoid:

Your aftercare instructions will depend on the treatment completed. For example, wisdom tooth surgery or extractions may include guidance around bleeding, swelling, pain relief, eating, rinsing and follow-up appointments.

If you experience worsening pain, ongoing bleeding, significant swelling, fever, breathing difficulty or symptoms that concern you, contact Highland Park Dental Centre or seek urgent medical care.

Highland Park Dental Centre is located on Aberfeldy Avenue in Highland Park, close to Highland Park Shopping Centre, Pak’nSAVE Highland Park, Pakuranga Road, Aviemore Drive and Lloyd Elsmore Park.

We regularly see patients from Highland Park, Howick, Pakuranga, Bucklands Beach, Botany, Half Moon Bay, Farm Cove, Sunnyhills, Cockle Bay, Eastern Beach, East Tamaki, Flat Bush, Dannemora and wider Auckland.

Because IV sedation requires a support person and transport home, many patients prefer to choose a local East Auckland dental clinic rather than travelling across the city.

Patients choose Highland Park Dental Centre because we combine full-service dental care with a calm, family-focused approach. Our clinic offers:

Our aim is to help you feel informed, comfortable and supported before, during and after your appointment.