Sedation Dentistry for Anxious Patients

At Smile Hub Dental Clinic, we specialise in providing sedation dentistry services for patients who experience dental anxiety or fear. Our clinic in North Dublin offers various options, including IV (intravenous) sedation and treatment by a dental phobic certified dentist. Whether you have a fear of needles, suffer from dental phobia, or require sedation for wisdom teeth extraction, we are one of the leading clinics in the Ireland. Notably, we are among the few clinics in Dublin capable of performing specialised root canal treatment under intravenous sedation.

Addressing Dental Anxiety

Many individuals feel worried or anxious when it comes to receiving dental treatment. This anxiety can stem from various factors, including:

Past traumatic experiences
Fear of pain
Apprehension regarding injections
Fear of the unknown
Feeling of loss of control
Discomfort associated with impressions causing a gag reflex

If you have any of these concerns, sedation dentistry may provide a suitable solution.

Understanding Sedation

Sedation involves the administration of a potent sedative that induces relaxation and calmness. The sedative is powerful enough to make you feel almost asleep during the procedure, rendering you unconcerned about your surroundings. Unlike general anesthesia, which renders you fully unconscious, with sedation, you can still communicate and respond to commands. This approach is safer, faster, and easier to administer. Once the procedure is complete, the administration of the drug is stopped, and you regain consciousness.

Concerns about Waking Up

The sedative drugs take effect quickly, almost instantaneously, and gradually wear off over approximately 30 minutes. As you become more awake, we can observe your progress, ensuring that you never abruptly wake up. If necessary, we can provide additional sedation to keep you comfortable. The benefit of this treatment is that you will have no recollection of the procedure, so it will feel as though you simply came in and then went home.

Choice of Medication and Administration

We utilize Midazolam, a short-acting Benzodiazepine from the same family as diazepam and valium, for sedation purposes. This drug is administered intravenously, typically through a vein in your arm.

Safety and Considerations

Benzodiazepines are widely used and have a long-established safety record. Adverse reactions are extremely rare, and your dentist will carefully assess any medical contraindications before prescribing the medication.

Additional Information

After the procedure, it is important to arrange for someone to accompany you and provide care. You may feel drowsy, and we recommend refraining from driving for 24 hours following the sedation. This also includes operating heavy machinery, making important financial decisions, or engaging in any activities deemed dangerous.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does Sedation Dentistry feel like?

You will remain conscious and able to talk during your dental sedation in Smile Hub Dental Clinic. You will be able to understand and respond to our dental team. Intravenous sedation induces a state of deep relaxiation and you will be very comfortable throughout your dental treatment. The drugs used for sedation can cause partial or complete memory loss for the period of time that the drug is working until it wears off. You will feel that time passes quickly and you will not recall much about your dental treatment. You may in fact feel that you were ‘asleep’ during the procedure even though you weren’t.

Call us in Smile Hub Dental Clinic in North Dublin today or Book Online Now to arrange your nervous dental patient conscious sedation consultation.

Is local anaesthetic still needed?

Yes the drugs used for intravenous sedation are anti-anxiety drugs that relax you but you will still need to be numbed for your treatment. However, you will not be numbed until the intravenous sedation has taken effect. If you have a phobia of needles you will be really relaxed before the local anaesthetic injection is administered.

How is Sedation administered?

Intravenous sedation is administered into your vein. A thin needle is placed in your vein close to the skin in your arm or in the back of the hand. During the procedure your blood pressure, pulse and oxygen levels will be closely monitored. A typical sedation appointment ususally lasts 90 minutes.

What drug is used for my sedation dentistry?

At Smile Hub Dental Clinic in Bayside Medical Centre we use a benzodiazepine called midazolam.

Is sedation safe?

Yes, at Smile Hub Dental Clinic all of our sedation dentists have undergone an 18 month postgraduate Diploma in Conscious Sedation.

Contraindications to having sedation with dental treatment:

Sleep apnoea
Known allergy to benzodiazepine
Alcohol intoxication
Impaired renal or liver function
Pregnancy and breast feeding

Advantages of Conscious Sedation

Conscious sedation makes dental treatment relaxing and comfortable for patients with moderate to severe dental anxiety. The onset of action is rapid and the level of sedation can be tailored to the patient’s individual needs. A deeper level of sedation can be achieved with intravenous sedation compared to inhalation sedation.
Conscious sedation makes traumatic surgical procedures relaxing and comfortable for the patient. Benzodiazepines produce amnesia.
Patient’s with gag and swallow reflexes can have their dental treatment undertaken in comfort
Conscious sedation relieves stress for patients with mild medical conditions such as hypertension and asthma whose conditions can be aggravated by the stress of dental treatment
Conscious sedation makes dental treatment more comfortable for patients with mild intellectual and physical disabilities such as cerebral palsy

The following after care dental sedation advice is given by your dentist inSmile Hub Dental Clinic:

Have your escort take you home in private transport so that you can rest for the remainder of the day. You must be looked after by a responsible adult for 24 hours
Do not drive for 24 hours or operate any machinery or domestic appliances
Do not perform strenuous or hazardous activities such as mowing the lawn for 24 hours
Eat light meals for the remainder of the day
Do not drink alcohol, return to work, make important decisions or sign any legal documents for 24 hours
Take any medications that you have been prescribed at their usual times

What are the advantages of Conscious Sedation during dental treatment?

At Smile Hub Dental Clinic we educate our nervous patients on the following benefits of having conscious sedation with their dental treatment:

Conscious sedation makes dental treatment relaxing and comfortable for patients with moderate to severe dental anxiety. The onset of action is rapid and the level of sedation can be tailored to the patient’s individual needs. A deeper level of sedation can be achieved with intravenous sedation compared to inhalation sedation.
Conscious sedation makes traumatic surgical procedures relaxing and comfortable for the patient. Benzodiazepines produce amnesia.
Patient’s with gag and swallow reflexes can have their dental treatment undertaken in comfort
Conscious sedation relieves stress for patients with mild medical conditions such as hypertension and asthma whose conditions can be aggravated by the stress of dental treatment
Conscious sedation makes dental treatment more comfortable for patients with mild intellectual and physical disabilities such as cerebral palsy

What happens after I have sedation for my dental treatment in Smile Hub Dental Clinic?

Your dentist in Smile Hub Dental Clinic will go through what to expect before, during and after your dental treatment with sedation.

Have your escort take you home in private transport so that you can rest for the remainder of the day. You must be looked after by a responsible adult for 24 hours
Do not drive for 24 hours or operate any machinery or domestic appliances
Do not perform strenous or hazardous activities such as mowing the lawn for 24 hours
Eat light meals for the remainder of the day
Do not drink alcohol, return to work, make important decisions or sign any legal documents for 24 hours
Take any medications that you have been prescribed at their usual times