It is fair to say that a large number of people have some degree of dental anxiety. Most will overcome it just about enough to attend checkups and to receive any essential treatments while perhaps avoiding cosmetic procedures that are potentially more invasive.
The reality is that few people really enjoy seeing the dentist and that includes some actually in the profession. Dental care is necessary though, and at times, this may well include more complex procedures. While some nervous patients might avoid cosmetic treatments, unfortunately they then miss out on a great opportunity to have a much enhanced smile.
So what can we do to help patients who fear the dentist? Years of experience and special training really does help us understand how people feel and allows us to provide a service that will make visits to your Witham dentist more comfortable, even if you are a nervous patient. Whether you are very mildly or extremely anxious, we hope that today’s blog will help to put you at ease a little more.
At Blake Dental we’ve put a lot of thought into our practice and the effect of the environment when patients enter. From the decor and comfortable waiting room, to the various distractions that we offer to help take your mind off the visit while you are waiting to be seen, we’ve tried to help from the moment you enter the practice. If you have any suggestions to improve this further, we are always happy to listen to your ideas!
All of our staff are trained to the highest level and this includes the way that they interact with patients. From the moment that you first speak to the reception team as you enter, we do what we can to help put you at ease. Our dentists will also help you to relax with their calm manner and are always happy to discuss any treatment in detail, or not at all if you prefer not to know! They will also advise you how to signal if you need to take a ‘breather’ during a procedure. This often helps patients before treatment begins again.
While nervous patients might feel a little anxious before a checkup, this is likely to be magnified if they need to have some invasive dental work carried out. Even with a local anaesthetic, it is possible that some minor discomfort (but not pain) might be felt and our dentists will do all that they can to minimise the chances of this. Modern equipment also means that procedures tend to last for a shorter time than previously.
Where applicable, we will discuss a non-invasive procedure over a more invasive one for particularly nervous patients. For example, we may recommend that dentures, rather than dental implants be used to replace missing teeth.
One of the most useful things that we offer our more nervous Witham patients is the option of having sedation for dental treatment. This can also benefit patients who are due to undergo a lengthier procedure such as dental implant placement. There are two types of sedation available.
This is given in the form of a tablet to be taken before your procedure. The timing of this will depend on your appointment time and the dentist will advise you of the most effective time to take it. This is a mild sedative which will help to ‘take the edge off’ your dental anxiety.
For those who are much more anxious about undergoing an invasive procedure, we can also offer conscious sedation. This is a stronger form of sedation and does require us to bring in an anaesthetist to administer the sedative. As this is a stronger method, we do require you to bring someone with you to take you home safely afterwards as you are likely to feel quite ‘woozy’.
You should absolutely not drive and even taking public transport could be more difficult than you anticipate. Using this sedation method will leave you awake and conscious but in a totally relaxed state and one, some of our patients tell us, where time seems to fly by quickly; something we are sure our more nervous patients will appreciate.
Your dental care is important and should not be neglected. We do our best to make sure that this feels as comfortable for you as possible. If you are nervous about your treatment, please let your dentist know so that they can help as much as they can to make the treatment pass quickly and comfortably. If you are told that you need to have a more complex treatment and you feel that you would benefit from sedation, please let us know in time so that we can organise this for you.
For more information about being a nervous patient or about our sedation services, please call Blake Dental today on 01376 501688.
