What should I do after dental sedation?
After a sedation tablet, IV sedation or general anaesthesia, go home with an adult, rest, and do not drive, drink alcohol, use machinery, sign anything important or care for small children alone until at least the next day. Start with sips of water and soft food once you are alert. After laughing gas most people return to normal within minutes. At Creative Arts in Dubai you receive written aftercare for your procedure.
Who treats you here Dr. Firas Osman Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeon & Implantologist · Dr. Khalid Saeed Co-founder & Dentist · Dr. Kinan Bonni Dentist
Every dentist’s licence can be checked on the DHA Sheryan medical directory.
How long does each type of dental sedation take to wear off?
Typical patterns. The clinician who looked after you may give you different instructions for your own case, and those come first.
| Laughing gas | Sedation tablet | IV sedation | General anaesthesia | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How you feel afterwards | Back to normal within minutes of breathing oxygen | Drowsy and a little unsteady for several hours | Drowsy, with patchy memory, for the rest of the day | Groggy and tired for the rest of the day |
| Going home | Often alone, once the clinician is satisfied | With a responsible adult | With a responsible adult | With a responsible adult |
| Someone with you at home | Not usually needed | For the rest of the day | For the rest of the day and the night | For at least 24 hours |
| Driving | When the clinician confirms the effect has gone | Not until the next day at the earliest | Not until the next day at the earliest | Not for at least 24 to 48 hours, as advised |
| Work or study | Usually the same day | Usually the next day | Usually the next day, if the procedure allows | Often the next day or later, depending on the surgery |
These timings are about the sedation only. Recovery from the procedure itself, such as an extraction or implant surgery, can take longer.
Why you cannot drive or make decisions after sedation, even if you feel fine
Sedative medicines slow your reaction times, coordination and judgement for longer than they make you feel sleepy. Many people feel almost normal by the evening after IV sedation and are surprised to be told not to drive. The medicine is still affecting how quickly you can respond to a car braking in front of you, and you may not be a good judge of that yourself.
The NHS advises, after wisdom tooth removal, not driving for 24 hours after a sedative injection and for 48 hours after a general anaesthetic. After a general anaesthetic it also advises that someone stays with you for at least 24 hours, and that you avoid alcohol, machinery and important decisions during that time. Your own instructions may be longer, depending on the procedure and the medicines you were given.
Memory is affected too. IV sedation in particular often leaves people with little memory of the appointment and, sometimes, of conversations in the hours afterwards. That is why aftercare instructions are given in writing and explained to your escort, and why it is not the day to sign contracts, send important emails or make financial decisions.
The first hours at home after IV sedation, tablets or general anaesthesia
- Rest somewhere comfortable, with your head raised on a couple of pillows if you had surgery in the mouth.
- Keep your escort close. They should stay with you for the rest of the day; after IV sedation or general anaesthesia, overnight is wise.
- Move carefully. Take stairs slowly, sit down to dress, and have someone nearby if you shower. Light-headedness when standing up is common.
- No alcohol, and no sleeping tablets or other sedating medicines unless your clinician has said they are safe to take.
- Keep away from the kitchen hob and hot liquids while you are drowsy or numb.
- Take medicines as your written instructions say, including any pain relief, and set a reminder if your memory is patchy.
When can I eat and drink after dental sedation?
Start with small sips of water once you are awake enough to swallow comfortably. If you feel steady and not sick, move on to something light and soft, such as yoghurt, laban, soup that has cooled, or porridge. Eating a little helps the light-headedness, especially if you were fasting beforehand.
Two things change the timing. First, if you also had a local anaesthetic, your lip, cheek or tongue may stay numb for a few hours. Avoid hot food and drinks and anything you need to chew until feeling returns, so you do not burn or bite yourself; how long dental numbness lasts explains the timing. Second, after an extraction or implant surgery, follow the diet for that procedure, which usually means soft, lukewarm food for the first days; see what to eat after a tooth extraction.
Some people feel sick after sedation or general anaesthesia. Sitting up, sipping water slowly and eating something plain usually helps. Persistent vomiting is not normal and should be reported.
Your sedation day checklist
Print it, or send it to the person who will look after you.
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| Before you leave home | Follow your fasting and medicine instructions; wear loose, comfortable clothes with sleeves that roll up; no make-up, nail varnish or jewellery if asked; bring your medicine list |
| At the clinic | Your escort brings you and comes back to collect you; they receive the written aftercare with you |
| Going home | By car or taxi with your escort, never alone on foot or on public transport after tablet, IV or general anaesthesia |
| This evening | Rest, sips of water, soft food, prescribed medicines on time, no alcohol, no driving, no important decisions |
| Tonight | Someone in the house with you after IV sedation or general anaesthesia; sleep with your head slightly raised after oral surgery |
| Tomorrow | Most people feel like themselves; return to driving and work only when your instructions say so |
Flying soon after surgery? Read flying after dental surgery before you book.
Children after laughing gas or sedation
Laughing gas is the option most often discussed for nervous children, and it wears off within minutes, so most children leave the clinic their normal selves. If your child had any other sedation, expect them to be sleepy and unsteady for some hours and keep them in sight, away from bikes, scooters, climbing frames and swimming for the rest of the day.
The numb lip is the bigger risk for children. A child who cannot feel their lip or cheek may chew it, which can leave a swollen, sore ulcer that looks alarming the next day. Keep an eye on them until the numbness has gone, and give food only once feeling returns. Our guide to laughing gas for children covers what to expect before and after.
When to call, and when to go to hospital
Call the clinic during opening hours, 10:00 to 20:00 daily, if you have bleeding that does not slow with firm pressure, pain that is getting worse rather than better, a fever, or vomiting that does not settle. Go to a hospital emergency department straight away for difficulty breathing or swallowing, swelling spreading towards the eye or neck, or if the person cannot be woken properly.
Planning wisdom tooth removal, implant surgery or a bone graft with sedation? See how oral surgery is planned at Creative Arts, from the medical review to written aftercare.
Oral surgery at Creative ArtsThe next day, and when to get back to normal
By the next morning most people feel like themselves after sedation. What usually limits the following days is the procedure, not the sedation: swelling after surgery peaks around the second or third day, and our guide to swelling after oral surgery explains what is normal.
Return to desk work is often possible the day after IV sedation; physical work, the gym and contact sport usually wait longer after surgery. If you still feel drowsy, unsteady or foggy the next day, do not drive and contact the clinic. For how the different options compare before you choose, see which dental sedation suits you, and for safety questions, is dental sedation safe.