If you have dental anxiety, the first thing you should do is realise you are not alone. Not by a long shot. We come across this every single day. Some people are nervous because of a bad experience they’ve had in the past, while a lot of people can’t quite explain why they’re so anxious at the dentist, but they just are. Either way, we’re here to help.
If you’re nervous, we usually spend our first visit just chatting. We have a look at your teeth, work out what, if anything, needs doing, and then discuss how we’re going to do it together. There are a few tips we can give you to help make your dental visit more relaxing.
Bring in headphones to block out the noises and listen to some of your favourite music while we work.
Bring a friend or other support person. Visitors are always welcome in our treatment rooms, and sometimes it helps having someone you trust in the room to hold your hand.
We offer nitrous oxide for our treatments, which is a fast acting anti-anxiety gas. You breath it in through your nose while we work, and while you remain fully conscious throughout, it helps you feel more relaxed and mellow. It also wears off within a few minutes, so you can drive afterwards.
Sometimes our dentist may prescribe an anti-anxiety medication for you to take prior to your treatment. This is something that needs to be discussed on a case by case basis.
The main thing to remember is, if you’re not comfortable with something, we just don’t do it. At any point throughout your treatment, raising your hand lets us know we need to stop. If you need a break, we give you one. If something hurts, we fix it so that it doesn’t. If you don’t like something, we try to do it another way. We listen to you and adapt our treatment approach based on your needs.
If you’d like to find out more, or book in to meet with one of our lovely dentists, then call us on 36328100 or visit our website to book online. We hope to meet you soon.