Dental Anxiety
If you are nervous about seeing the dentist, you are not alone – many people, of all ages and backgrounds, feel anxious about dental treatment. You may be anxious about specific aspects of treatment, or perhaps you had an unpleasant experience as a child.
Please feel free to mention these fears to us and we will do our best to alleviate them.
What can I expect at my “New Patient Exam”?
You can expect a caring, patient, non-judgemental, professional and experienced approach to dealing with anxious patients. The examination is carried out at your pace with constant explanation and reassurance. We employ stop signals, therefore ensuring you are in control at all times. Dental fear is a real and paralysing barrier to seeking help and advice. It is a negative cycle that without the right support and encouragement, is impossible to break. We have a wealth of experience and are here to help with a variety of techniques at our disposal.
Treatment Plans
In proposing treatment, we will always seek your consent and take account of your own wishes. We will explain all the options and costs before embarking on any treatment so that you can make an informed choice.
Stop Signals
You are always in control whilst in our care. You have the power to start or stop treatment by simply raising a hand, as one would do for example at school to catch the attention of the teacher.
Pain Management
All the dentists at our practice are most concerned with providing pain-free anaesthesia. We always numb the injection site by using bubble-gum flavoured surface anaesthetics for every patient.
Pain felt during injections is usually due to the anaesthetic being delivered too quickly, not allowing the gums time to expand. We, therefore ensure all our injections are delivered as slowly as possible.
We only use anaesthetic solutions at room temperature as it has been reported that pain is more pronounced if the anaesthetic solution is cold on delivery.
Intravenous Sedation
What are the benefits/negatives of Sedation and what would it entail?
Intravenous sedation is a fantastic way to alleviate patient anxiety and distress associated with dental procedures. It is a really easy technique that involves the administration of Midazolam via a vein in the back of your hand or the inside of the elbow. We monitor you carefully to ensure you are comfortably sedated, relaxed and happy before we start any treatment. Once treatment is complete, you go home and rest and are back to normal by the following day. As the vast majority of patients have a loss of memory of the event, they are all happy to return for more sedation should further dental treatment be required. The only downside to having sedation is that an escort is required to attend, take you home and keep an eye on you until the following morning. This tends not to be a problem as family members or friends are usually more than happy to help patients work through their anxieties.
Sedation effectively relieves anxiety and produces deep relaxation whilst you are still awake. As we are committed to treating anxious patients, we are proficient in the provision of intravenous sedation and strongly recommend it as a treatment option.
Remember
By looking after your teeth, eating a healthy balanced diet and visiting the dentist regularly, you are in control and can dramatically reduce the likelihood of treatmemt!
