In the day-to-day running of our clinic, we encounter large numbers of patients who are nervous about the dentist. The reasons for their anxiety are varied, but the ones we hear most often are bad experiences in the past, fear of pain and anxiety about the lack of control: the dentist is working in the mouth, an area that the patient themselves cannot see.
At the Dentaprime Dental Clinic, we take our patients’ worries very seriously. We want to send them home with a smile – not only because their “new” teeth have restored their confidence in their appearance, but because, ideally, we will have restored their trust in the dentist and helped to abolish any worries about future appointments.
How do we do this? It goes with saying that intensive consultations – in which we explore individual patients’ needs in detail and deal with their anxieties – are part of the process. We hold precise discussions about what treatment options are available and which would be most advisable in light of the patient’s wishes and needs. We advise patients about what kind of dental prosthesis would represent the best solution and offer them the most benefit in the long term. We afford individual attention to each and every question, comment and suggestion, no matter how big or small it may be.
On the other side of the coin, sedation is useful in helping many nervous patients overcome their anxiety. It has proven particularly effective in the case of more complex treatments such as the insertion of implants or bone augmentation.
Sedation is not as drastic a solution as general anesthesia and is less taxing for the body. Instead of being completely “knocked out”, the patient receives an anesthetic whose effects resemble normal sleep. The patient does not register anything of the treatment that is taking place. Our patients repeatedly speak positively of their experience with sedation and stress how much this method has helped with their nerves.
We work continually to raise the public’s confidence in dentists and to help abolish pre-appointment nerves.
Can we help you overcome your fear of the dentist? Just get in touch! We’d be delighted to answer your questions.
