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For Tim Day, the moment of truth came when the Air Force gave him an ultimatum: See a dentist or be taken off the list of people who are combat-ready. Fortunately, Day had a recommendation from his wife, whose dentist was Ed Carlson. Carlson's wife, Dawn, is also a dental hygienist in his office. She, too, was able to establish a good rapport with the sergeant and put him at ease.
Our surgery prides itself on our patient care and treatment. Keeping patients comfortable and relaxed is a crucial part of this. With our combination of caring service, relaxation techniques, and technology, we aim to put you at ease so you can have the best treatment possible.
All our staff are fully trained to perform dental treatment under sedation. Dr Gary Wu is highly experienced at treating patients under sedation and has treated over 500 patients with these techniques. We are very fortunate to have the facilities to provide both inhalational as well as intravenous sedation.
As a dental hygienist, I understand the fear and anxiety people have when they visit the dentist. We let our patients listen to their iPod or mp3 player while we clean their teeth. This way, they don't have to hear the sounds of the drill and the music relaxes them.
My biggest problem is with the sound of the drill. I can take the needles and the picking and scraping. But the sound of the drill sends me over the moon. I will try the tip about taking my ipod the next time I go I am just not sure it would be loud enough to drown out the sound. I had convinced myself that my next dentist visit would have to be with sedation. We will see…Thanks for the tip.
Even if it does come to the stage where you're able to start having a basic check up, having had an open talk with your dentist you could still come to an agreement whereby you can retain a certain level of control over proceedings by taking things at your own pace and requesting they stop if things are going too fast. Many people devise signals they can use to communicate with their dentists, allowing them to have their say throughout.
Book appointments at a time of day when you feel at your best, and when you do not have any other commitments to worry about. Allow plenty of time so that you can get to the practice in a relaxed frame of mind - arriving in a rush will only make you feel more nervous. It is usually best to have something to eat before you go, so there is no chance of you feeling faint while you are in the chair.
This article has proposed a model of dental anxiety management based on an initial assessment followed by proportionate interventions based on the level of dental anxiety identified. There are elements of the dental practice which can be modified to enable all patients to experience treatment more comfortably, whereas for those with moderate or severe levels of fear, more structured psychological and pharmacological interventions are required. In commissioning and developing dental services due consideration should be given to addressing the needs of all patients with dental anxiety.
Having all supplies ready to use before the appointment keeps the dental team on schedule and relaxed with their preparation. Offering patients comfort choices upfront, explaining in a nontraumatic way what procedures will be done, what comfort plans are available if needed, and how someone can indicate if they need the operator to stop are all things that need to be discussed.
Several studies show that psychological methods based on exposure treatment such as Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) are effective for dealing with various anxiety disorders. A meta-analysis of CBT studies for children and adolescents found CBT to be effective in the treatment of anxiety disorders such as specific phobias. 32 A number of studies have investigated the effect of cognitive and behavioural therapeutic methods in conjunction with treatment of dental anxiety in adults. 33 The fundamental basis of CBT is the exposure principle,supported by home exercises with parental assistance.
I used to feel the same, I have always avoided the dentist. Then at christmas, when the dentist was on holiday, I got an abcess on my wisdom tooth. it was my own fault, I knew I needed to do something about that tooth, most of it had broken off, but I just buried my head in the sand.
Try to have balanced thoughts about what is happening. For example some people think that they are in pain when it is in fact just the vibration of the drill. The noise of the drill can be another factor to consider. The memory of the pain in this case is short-lived and is soon forgotten once treatment has ended. One thing you could do to is ask the dentist to show you that the pain you think you are feeling is just from the vibration by using the drill on both sides of the mouth - the one that has been numbed and the other one (obviously he should take the drill bit off). You may then realise that it is not pain you are feeling but just the vibration.
There may be numerous reasons for a person to experience anxiety when visiting the dentist. For example, people can be fearful of the diagnosis process, needles and drills or perhaps they find the visit embarrassing. Do not fear! Dentists are trained and have experience with nervous patients and they are not here to judge you. They are here to help you, so remain positive as is a healthy habit we all need to keep.
In general it was found that people with dental fear do not look after their teeth as well as they could. They don't take much pride in regular brushing and flossing so the teeth end up even worse. Dental phobics tend to clean their teeth far less than those who do go and this of course exacerbates the problem.
Sedation is excellent for the extremely nervous or patients who have a dental phobia. We use a sedative agent to relax the patient. This can be in the form of nitrous oxide which can be inhaled or as midazolam which is administered intravenously. These techniques are proven to be very safe and all our staff meet current GDC guidelines for sedation.
Think about other preliminary steps before the patient enters the office. Consider discussing particular needs that someone may have with the rest of the staff before patients come in for their appointments to determine what pain management protocols may be required. Does the patient have any health issues that might interfere with any comfort protocol, such as pregnancy, certain medications, and more? Continuing education is another great preliminary step. There are many live and online CE courses about pain management to help keep team members up to date. Make sure you're certified (if required), and comfortable to administer any of the products prior to using them on a patient.
We have many pain control analgesics and anesthetics at our disposal. But pain management really begins before patients step into the office. A patient's state of mind is important. If someone is anxious before they even enter the office, our job becomes more difficult.
Although I have been a patient of Hoddesdon surgery for over 30years and seen many dentists during this time, I was still very apprehensive and nervous at every visit. It was not until I met Vish and his staff that my nervousness lessened. He took his time to talk to me and explain all the procedures that were going to happen in detail. Throughout the treatment he and his staff were very attentive. D Frost.
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