(without anesthetist )
This leaflet gives basic information to help you prepare for your sedation. If you have any questions, please feel free to tell our doctors and nurses.
Types of anesthesia in our clinic
Anesthesia stops you feeling pain and other sensations. It can be given in various ways and does not always make you unconscious.
Local anesthesia: involves injections which numb a small part of your body (close to the area of your operation). You stay conscious but free from pain.
Local anesthesia with sedation: The sedation makes you feel drowsy (sleepy-like state) and mentally relaxed during the procedure, while the local anesthetic prevents you from feeling pain.
You may remember a little about what happened but often you will remember nothing.
General anesthesia: gives a state of controlled unconsciousness. It is essential for some operations. You are unconscious and feel nothing.
Before your anesthetic
You will be asked some questions to check your health before your operation by a pre-assessment questionnaire. Our registered nurses or doctors will talk with you to know more about your medical history when needed.
It is important for you to bring a list of:
 All the pills, medicines, herbal remedies or supplements you are taking, both prescribed and those that you have purchased over the counter
 All allergies you may have
On the day of your operation
 Nothing to eat or drink – fasting (“Nil-by-mouth”)
Keep fast from 6 hours prior to the operation. Small amount of clear water is allowed up to 2 hours before the operation.
It is important to follow these. If there is food or liquid in your stomach during your anesthetic, it could come up to the back of your throat and damage your lungs.
 If you are taking medicines
You should continue to take them as usual with sips of water, unless your surgeon has asked you not to. For example, if you take drugs to stop you getting blood clots (anticoagulants), aspirin, drugs for diabetes of herbal remedies, you will need specific instructions.
 If you feel unwell
When you are due to come, please phone us for advice (Tel: 28514888)

When you are called for your operation
Please,
 remove your contact lens, jewellery and decorative piercing.
 go to toilet before entering the operation theatre.
In the operating theatre
This is often a busy place, with staffs bustling to get ready for your surgery and noise echoing around. Music may be playing. After you get into the theatre, you will be invited to sit on the dental chair and a blanket will be given to you.
To monitor you during your operation, we will attach you to machine to watch:
 Your heart: in some cases, sticky patches will be placed on your chest(electrocardiogram or ECG)
 Your blood pressure: a blood-pressure cuff will be placed on your arm (a sphygmomanometer)
 The oxygen level in your blood: a clip will be placed on your finger (pulse oximeter).
You will be asked to rinse your mouth with mouth-wash. And then your doctor will set up your cannula and give you anesthetic drugs via it. After you fell ‘asleep’ , a sterile cloth is used to shield your head (except the mouth) and body, it provides us a sterile field to work (helps to decrease your infection rate). If you feel any discomfort, just give us a signal by slightly raise your hand or leg.
Setting up your cannula
We need to give you drugs into a vein. A needle will be used to put a thin plastic tube (a ‘cannula’) into a vein in the back of your hand or arm. This is taped down to stop it slipping out. Sometimes, it can take more than one attempt to insert the cannula.
If this worries you, you can ask to have a local anesthetic cream put on your hand to numb the skin 1 hour before the puncture.
Starting a sedation (induction)
During the induction, anesthetic drugs will be given through the cannula. It happens very quickly, and you will become unconscious within a minute or so. People usually describe a swimmy, light headed feeling.
If it hurts when anesthetic drugs are given through your cannula, it is important that you tell your doctor.
Once you are ‘slept’, your doctor will continue to give drugs into your vein.
These are some of the drugs you may be given during your anesthetic:
 Anesthetic drugs to keep you anaesthetized
 Pain-relieving drugs to keep you pain-free during and after your operation
 Other drugs depending on your condition as it changes
At the end of the operation, your doctor will stop giving anesthetic drugs.
When your doctor is sure that you are recovering normally and you regain your consciousness, you can leave the operation room.
After a sedation
Most people can leave immediately after the surgery, but if you feel unwell, you can stay in our recovery room. Our staff will observe your condition and monitor your blood pressure, oxygen levels and pulse rate.
 If you want, your relatives and/or friends can come inside the recovery room and sit beside you.
 In the recovery room, you can find an interphone beside your bed. If you feel any discomfort or have any needs,

just press the button and tell us your needs.
 In order to minimize any swelling, you may receive an ice pad.
 You may receive pain-relieving drugs before you regain consciousness, but if you are in pain, tell our staff so we can give you more.
 When you are fully alert, you can try some water and warm congee that we prepared for you.
After a local anesthetic
 It will take around 1 to 2 hours for feeling to return to the area of your mouth that was numb.
 During this time, make sure that the numb area is protected from injury. You should avoid hot drinks and foods.
 You can expect to feel tingling as feeling returns, but this soon passes. At this point it is important to let our staff know if you are feeling pain.
Leave our center
Our staff must be totally satisfied that you have safely recovered from your sedation, and all your observations (such as blood pressure and pulse) are stable before you leave our center.
It is important to ask for help when you first get out of bed. Although you may feel fine lying in the bed, you may feel faint or sick when you first get up.
What will I feel like afterwards?
Most people feel fine after their operation.
However, you may suffer from side effects of some sort.
You may feel sick, dizzy or shivery, or have general aches and pains. Some people have temporary blurred vision, drowsiness, a sore throat and a headache.
Benefits and risks of anesthesia
Safety in anesthesia
Anesthesia has made much of today’s surgery possible, and had brought great benefits.
Its benefit is that it will remove pain and sensation. This benefit needs to be weighed against the risks of the anesthetic procedure and the drugs used. The balance will vary from person to person.
The risk to you as an individual will depend on:
 Whether you have any other illness
 Personal factors, such as whether you smoke or are overweight
Summary of side effects and complications
Common complications
Sore throat
If you have had a tube in your airway to help you breathe, it may give you a sore throat. The discomfort or pain lasts from a few hours to days and can be treated with pain-relieving lozenges.
Dizziness, blurred vision
Your anesthetic or loss of fluids may lower your blood pressure and make you feel faint. Fluids or drugs (or both) will be

given into your drip to treat this.
Shivering
This may be due to you getting cold during the surgery, to some drugs, or to stress. Our staff we provide you enough blanket.
Headache
This may be due to the effects of the anesthetic, to the surgery, to lack of fluids, or to anxiety. The headache usually gets better in a few hours and can be treated with pain relievers. If it lasts a long time, please tell our staff.
Pain during injection of drugs
Drugs may cause some pain or discomfort when they are injected.
Uncommon side effects and complications
An existing medical condition getting worse
You doctor will always make sure that you are as fit as possible before your surgery. However, if you have had a heart attack or stroke, it is possible that it may happen again- as it might even without the surgery.
Awareness
Your risk of becoming conscious during your operation will depend on your general health and the type of operation you are having.
If you awake during the surgery, just raise your hand or leg, so your doctor can adjust the level of drugs for you.
Very rare complications
Damage to the eyes
Your doctor takes great care to protect your eyes. Your eyelids are held closed with adhesive tape, which removed before you wake up.
Serious allergy to drugs
Allergic reactions will be noticed and treated very quickly. Very rarely, these reactions lead to death even in healthy people. We will want to know about any allergies in yourself or your family.