We are delighted to announce that we are now able to offer dental sedation to our existing and new adult patients. Here in Ivory Dental Care in Malahide we are continually striving to offer a better service for our patients, and we hope that by introducing this service it will help make having dental care that bit easier for anyone who finds attending the dentist a challenge.

We understand that a visit to the dentist can be daunting for many people, and our team of caring dentists always strive to make everyone’s visit to us a pleasant experience. What we do acknowledge is that some patients won’t even be able to pick up the phone to make an appointment with us, or they won’t want to attend an arranged appointment, as a result of their dental anxieties or dental phobia. If this sounds like you, please know you are not alone. We have realised there is a large number of patients like this, and for this reason we have invested in expanding our services to enable us to offer conscious sedation for our adult patients. We want to be able to help all nervous dental patients of Malahide and Dublin.

Intravenous Conscious Sedation

Conscious sedation involves the administration of a drug – either a tablet that is swallowed, or a liquid that is injected. The intravenous route (injection) is the most popular and effective method, and the drug used is called Midazolam. This is injected in to a vein in your arm or hand. This drug is given until you feel fully comfortable, have no anxiety, and are happy to have any form of dental treatment carried out.

Conscious sedation is a bit different to a general anaesthetic. The use of general anaesthetic involves a lengthy trip to hospital and you are fully put to sleep by an anaesthetist. There is a long period of recovery, and generally the only dental treatment that is possible under general anaesthetic is the extraction of teeth. A huge advantage of conscious sedation is that it can be provided in our practice, avoiding the need for a trip to hospital. Some patients tend to fall asleep during dental sedation, but we can wake you very easily if required. You don’t have to fast before the procedure, and you can go home within an hour of completing your treatment. We use this form of dental sedation for anything ranging from dental cleanings to fillings, and more extensive treatment like root canals and dental extractions.

Advantages

The use of dental sedation has many advantages. Along with removing any anxiety patients have and enabling them to have dental treatment provided in a painless and comfortable manner, most patients forget all of the treatment they had while they were sedated. Negative memories of a dental visit are fear provoking for many patients, so when you can have this treatment carried out without remembering it, it means you are more likely to have reduced anxiety towards any future visits to us. Time passes very quickly when you are sedated, which means lengthy dental visits are more tolerable. A huge advantage of dental sedation is its effect on a gag reflex – if you are not a nervous patient, but can not tolerate having items in your mouth due to a strong gag reflex, the use of dental sedation completely removes a strong gag reflex meaning you can tolerate having dental treatment.

Dental Sedation is appropriate for the following people;

  • Dental anxiety
  • Dental phobia
  • Traumatic dental procedures
  • Lengthy dental procedures
  • Strong gag reflex
  • Patients with very sensitive teeth
  • Those who can’t sit still in the dental chair
  • Patients with a low pain threshold
  • Patients who need a lot of dental treatment
  • Patients unsuitable for general anaesthetic due to a complex medical history

Dental sedation may not be appropriate for everyone, so our specially trained sedation dentist would always like to meet you first for an assessment to ensure this is the most effective method of helping you have your dental treatment. Some of the more common reasons that dental sedation is not appropriate include patients who are pregnant, patients with certain medical conditions, or those who are very sick.

Our specially qualified dentist in dental sedation is here to help you, so if you feel like you would benefit from this treatment please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Make An Appointment

To book an appointment or make an enquiry please call us on 01-5522390. Alternatively you can email us on info@ivorydental.ie or complete our enquiry form here. A member of our team will respond as soon as possible.

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