Sedation dentistry and general anaesthesia differ in several distinct ways: With sedation dentistry, you are mostly awake, while you are almost always entirely in a deep sleep with general anaesthesia. If you have had sedation dentistry, you may remember some of the procedures. In contrast, you should have no memory of the procedure at all if you have general anaesthesia. While sedation dentistry may not take effect immediately unless it’s administered via IV, general anaesthesia works a lot faster as the drugs are absorbed quickly into your bloodstream. After sedation dentistry, you may be able to drive yourself home soon after the procedure, as you may regain control of your physical and mental faculties quickly. However, you will need someone to bring you home after general anaesthesia, as it may take hours for it to wear off.