Patient Info
Anxious Patients
Many people are nervous about having dental treatment.
It can only take one bad experience or hearing all of those dental horror stories to cause fear of dental treatment. Whatever the cause, there are many solutions to make dental treatment as comfortable as possible.
We are equipped with the latest technology and techniques for greater patient comfort. From The Wand to Sleep Dentistry we’ve got you covered.
Sometimes, it can be enough to have a caring and gentle dental practitioner who takes the time to understand a patient’s needs. Dental treatment can be intimidating and a dental practitioner who takes the time to walk a fearful patient through the process can make the whole procedure easy.
What are the options?
Happy gas (Nitrous Oxide) – this gas is given to patients through a nosepiece and has no smell but tastes slightly sweet. It causes a relaxed feeling, which some patients describe as ‘feeling like I’m floating with not a care in the world’. In patients that are a little to moderately nervous but can sit in the chair, this is a good option. Recovery period is around 10-15 mins and memory is generally not affected.
IV sedation – for the more nervous patient or if more extensive work is getting done. Certain medications are administered by an anaesthetist, which cause the patient to relax almost to the point of sleep. It is quite common to remember minimal to none of the dental work being done. It can take a while for the body to clear out the medication. As such, patients need to be driven home after the treatment, be supervised and can not work or drive for a 24hr period.
General Anaesthetic – depending on the type of work being done, a general anaesthetic can be preferable to an IV sedation. In a general anaesthetic the patient is put completely to sleep and has no memories of the treatment at all. This may suit patients who are very nervous as well. General anaesthetics are done in hospital with a full complement of medical staff. Once again, as it can take a while for the medication to completely clear out of the body, patients who have a general anaesthetic have to avoid work and driving and be supervised for a 24hr period.
Please call to discuss the options with you.