Nervous Patients
If you have a fear of going to the dentist, you’re not alone. Dental anxiety is a recognised issue for many people, and one that we’re well used to coming across at Dentist on the Green.
An underlying fear of dental treatment can often stem from a previous bad experience and it might mean you’re reluctant to book in for regular check-ups or to have treatment. But being a nervous patient shouldn’t get in the way of your dental health. It’s never too late to improve your oral health, and we have a number of ways we can help you overcome your anxiety.
We have dentists who are experienced in treating nervous patients. We’ll make sure that from the moment you arrive at the practice, we’ll provide the help you need to make your visit as easy-going and stress-free as possible.
How to overcome your fear of the dentist
We have a number of options alongside sedation, to help you overcome your dental fear including:
- Pain-free injections
- Relaxation techniques
- Making sure that teeth are completely free of feeling before starting treatment
- Desensitisation to the noise of the drill (behaviour modification)
- Techniques for distraction, such as bringing your own music or e-books
- Strategies to help with the negative conversations you have with yourself that can cause anxiety to worsen
- Specialist referrals for hypnotherapy treatment by a clinical psychologist if indicated, and our specialist oral surgeons can arrange general anaesthesia if necessary for extractions
- A tour of the practice before you commit to treatment, to put you at ease and meet the team
Dental sedation
You may find treatment easier if you have some form of sedation. Dental sedation doesn’t put you to sleep like a general anaesthetic but instead, puts you into a deeply relaxed state. So you are still conscious and able to talk with your dentist. The most common forms of sedation are;
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- Intravenous (IV) sedation, where a sedative is injected into your vein.
- Oral sedation, in which you breathe in a sedative gas through a mask that your dentist places over your nose and mouth.
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Filling placement is necessary to treat cavities and prolong the longevity of the natural teeth. With today’s technology continuously improving, new methods are developed to benefit the patients and ensure their positive oral health for a lifetime.
Phobia of dentist appointments and the experience as a whole is particularly common amongst lots of people. So do not be embarrassed about it if you are too. Research shows many patients also have negative memories of dental visits from childhood – the smells, sounds and even the decor. Being afraid means different things to different individuals as well, so each case should be treated independently.
We have thought of a solution. Sedation is completed by IV sedation which does not put you to sleep but rather gives you a very drowsy feeling and more compliant and accepting of treatment. There are less risks of using sedation in this way than undertaking treatment with general anaesthetic. The sedative also has amnesic qualities meaning you will most likely forget the treatment after we have finished.
When we are faced with a challenge or something we’re afraid of, such as a visit to the dentist, our bodies produce substances, which raise our anxiety. However, we can train our bodies to work against this anxiety, by learning to relax. It’s not possible to be anxious and relaxed at the same time, so learning relaxation helps control our anxiety.