Edmonton dental sedation clinic seen as win-win for fearful patients, budding dentists
Posted July 13, 2026 3:56 pm.
Last Updated July 13, 2026 6:49 pm.
Drills, forceps, and that sharp metal hook.
A trip to the dentist – with all its tools and instruments – can feel like a nightmare for some.
Laura Robbins is among them. “I totally hate the dentist,” she said.
Robbins says a bad experience in her youth has left her with a lifetime of dental anxiety.
“The pain. Just terrified of it,” she said.
On Monday, she’s facing her fear, but she won’t be awake for necessary dental procedure; she’s choosing sedation.
“Here, you’re out and no anxiety,” Robbins said. “A little bit when you come in, but you’re out and you wake up and you’re done.”
At the Kaye Edmonton Clinic, dentists in the IV conscious sedation program – part of the Mike Petryk School of Dentistry – are taking care of those clients who may need a little more help calming their nerves. And it’s all for free.
A new session started Monday and will last all week, treating about 150 patients. It’s one of five sessions free for the public every year.
“Some of them have never had dental treatment or not had dental treatment in a very long time, and the anxiety is what’s keeping them away from the dentist,” said Dr. Antonella Trache, part of the school of dentistry’s IV sedation program.
The checkups, cleanings, fillings and extractions are all taken on by new dentists.
Dr. Trache says offering this sedative treatment to patients scared of painful dental work offers two benefits to the community: patients get the care they need, and dentists get training to be certified – all within the safety net of being supervised by a faculty with decades of real-life experience.
“Slowly, little by little throughout this week, we actually get to see how they evolve, and how their confidence increases and then they become more comfortable with this new skillset,” Trache said.
The demand for sedated dental work is on the rise, according to the head of the program, Dr. James Yacyshyn, who says more dentists are looking to add it to their practices.
Yacyshyn, the director of continuing dental education at the University of Alberta, says the more patients sign up for the free clinic, the more experience new dentists can bring to the community.
“Yeah, nervous patients, there’s never a shortage. To be able to treat them appropriately, with the different types of sedation modalities, it’s never going out of style,” he said.
