Stop Gagging. Start Smiling.

Yes, absolutely. Sedation relaxes the throat muscles and calms the central nervous system, which minimises and often completely eliminates the gag reflex and retching during treatment.

Both inhalation sedation ("happy air") and intravenous (IV) sedation work exceptionally well. Inhalation sedation is ideal for mild-to-moderate gagging during simple care, while IV sedation is best for severe gag reflexes or longer procedures.

1. Distract Your Mind: Occupy your focus with something physical. Try sitting in a chair, straightening one leg, and holding it elevated while brushing. Your brain will focus on holding your leg up rather than gagging!
2. Adjust Your Toothbrush: Use an electric toothbrush with a small, round head. Avoid placing traditional brushes too far back on your tongue—use a dedicated tongue scraper instead.
3. Try Non-Foaming Toothpaste: Use a dry toothbrush with toothpaste that does not contain foaming agents like SLS (e.g., Sensodyne Pronamel). The dryer your mouth remains while brushing, the less likely you are to gag.
4. Try Table Salt: Lightly dabbing table salt onto your tongue or the roof of your mouth before brushing can temporarily desensitise the gag reflex.
5. Explore Acupuncture: Acupuncture is a recognised medical technique frequently used in dentistry to effectively suppress the gag reflex.

Acupuncture is a recognised and commonly used treatment modality in other areas of medicine. It is an extremely useful technique used in dentistry to prevent gagging. We would recommend trying out acupuncture - you can find out more here.