Teen extractions under sedation

You come to the appointment with your child. The sedationist places a cannula, a fine plastic tube, in a vein in your child’s arm or the back of their hand; they will feel a brief sharp scratch. The sedative is given slowly, and your child’s breathing, oxygen levels, pulse and blood pressure are monitored throughout. Once your child is relaxed, the tooth is numbed with local anaesthetic, so they may feel pressure but should not feel anything sharp. The extraction itself usually takes 5–15 minutes. Afterwards, your child rests in our recovery area until the sedationist is satisfied they are ready to go home with you by car or taxi.

Your child doesn’t need to fast before the procedure. Give them a light meal beforehand and avoid a large meal. They should take their usual medicines unless we advise otherwise. Tell us before the appointment about any changes to their health or medicines. Dress them in loose clothing that lets us reach their arm and hand, and remove dark nail varnish, which can affect the oxygen monitor.

A parent or guardian must attend, give consent and act as escort; the sedationist will also check that your child understands the treatment. Please don’t bring younger children, as you will need to focus on your teenager. A sedation appointment holds time we cannot offer to anyone else, so please give at least a week’s notice if you need to cancel; later cancellations and missed appointments are charged the full sedation fee.

Take your child straight home to rest, and stay with them for the rest of the day, ideally overnight. Their mouth will stay numb for a few hours: they shouldn’t eat or have hot drinks until the feeling returns, so they don’t bite or burn their lip, cheek or tongue, but cold drinks are fine straight away. Some bleeding is normal. If it continues, ask them to bite firmly on a clean gauze swab or handkerchief over the socket for 20 minutes, without lifting it to check. For 24 hours they should not ride a bike, use the cooker, kettle or iron, or be left alone or in charge of younger children, and they should not rinse or spit.

Over the next few days, some soreness, swelling and bruising are normal. Paracetamol or ibuprofen can help; just follow the dose on the packet for your child’s age. Keep to soft food for the first day, and from the next day your child can rinse gently with warm salt water after meals. Avoid sport and strenuous activity for at least 48 hours. Any stitches are dissolvable and usually disappear within 7–14 days. Most children need 24–72 hours off school.

Tooth removal starts from £450 and IV sedation from £600, so treatment starts from £1050 in total. The final fee depends on the number of teeth, how complex the extraction is and how long it takes, and you will have a personalised estimate after the consultation. The fee includes radiographs and any review or stitch removal your child needs. The consultation is £95, includes any radiographs, and is charged separately. A CBCT scan is only needed in some cases and is extra: £200, or £300 with a radiology report.

Your child stays awake and able to respond, but feels calm and drowsy, and may remember little afterwards. Sedation doesn’t numb pain on its own, so the tooth is numbed with local anaesthetic once they are relaxed. They may feel pressure, but should not feel anything sharp.

Most children need 24–72 hours off school, depending on how many teeth are removed and how they recover. They should not go back to school on the day of sedation.

Yes. A parent or guardian must come to the appointment, give consent and take your child home by car or taxi. Please plan to stay with them for the rest of the day and overnight.

We offer IV sedation from the age of 12. If your child is younger, their dentist can advise on other options.