We are sure that a good proportion of those who are reading this blog don’t exactly look forward to their dental appointments, even for a check up. Attending the practice for treatment will almost certainly raise the anxiety level a little higher too for some of you. Despite the best efforts of our friendly, gentle staff, from receptionist to dentist, it is a fact that a small number of patients have a real phobia about seeing a dentist for one reason or another.
For most people, regular dental appointments are a necessity and even treatments are accepted as something that simply has to be done. For others though, the challenge is much greater and it is not unusual for patients to experience real anxiety before and during an appointment, with some even cancelling or simply not turning up at all.
If you are one of those people who experiences high levels of dental anxiety, it is really important that you do attend your appointment. Even if you know you are due to undergo a root canal procedure for example (sadly, a treatment that has a bad but undeserved reputation which we will discuss in a future blog) you should still attend.
Failing to keep appointments will almost certainly mean that you are doing all that you can to put your ‘head in the sand’ and hope the problem will go away. Unfortunately, this won’t happen and the likely outcome is that you will eventually suffer more pain to a degree that you will actually want to go to the dentist in order for it to stop.
Even if you have been told that you need to have a small filling, you shouldn’t put this off. A small filling is a relatively straightforward procedure, but if left, is likely to result in more extensive and invasive dental surgery needing to be carried out.
At Blake Dental, your local dentist in Witham, we pride ourselves on looking after our patients well. This doesn’t just mean in the area of actual procedures but also the way we help our patients feel more relaxed about their appointment. We ensure that our reception team offers a friendly and helpful service. Being greeted in this way when you enter our local clinic instantly helps patients to feel more at ease.
When you receive treatment, the dentist will help you to feel relaxed and will be happy to discuss any concerns that you might have. They may also explain how to signal to them if you need to ‘take a breather’ during a procedure too.
We also encourage you to read our Google reviews and we are sure that after doing so, you will feel more comfortable about your upcoming appointment. For example, this comment was posted just three weeks ago.
“I am an extremely anxious patient when it comes to the dentist and after reading the reviews for Blake’s I already felt calmer about going to the dentist. From the moment you walk into the practice until the moment you leave you are made to feel comfortable and relaxed. The reception staff were extremely welcoming which instantly put me at ease. Raveena was absolutely amazing from start to finish and made me feel extremely comfortable, explaining what she was doing at each stage. I could not recommend this practice enough, especially to those who are anxious around going to the dentist.”
For those whose level of dental anxiety is very high, we also offer a sedation service that will allow you to receive your treatment in a relaxed and calm manner.
Sedation
For those patients who feel that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to undergo a procedure, we offer dental sedation options which will help. These come in two forms and we will discuss your situation with you before deciding on the most appropriate option.
Oral sedation
This is a mild sedative given in the form of a tablet which you should take at the time advised by your dentist (this may depend on the time of your appointment). This will reduce your anxiety levels and make you feel more relaxed and comfortable during your treatment, and indeed the ‘build up’ to it, which can be a challenge in itself.
Conscious sedation
This option provides a stronger sedation solution and is administered by an anaesthetist. This will help to relax even the most anxious patient. Unlike the ‘dental gas’ that older patients might recall, this will not put you to sleep, but will leave you in a highly relaxed state but one where you will be able to communicate with the dentist if required.
In both cases, patients should expect some residual drowsiness from their sedation and you should plan around this. Especially with conscious sedation, you should bring someone with you to ensure that you are able to get home safely. You should certainly (as medicines often say) NOT drive or operate heavy machinery. In fact, we strongly advise that you book the day off work and, once home, just put your feet up and relax until the effects have completely gone (usually within 24 hours).
Remember that receiving regular dental care is essential, not only for your oral health but your general health too. If you are nervous about dental appointments and would like to discuss this with us to see how we can help you, please contact our Witham dental practice on 01376 501688.
