Nervous patients
Dental phobia, or a fear of the dentist, usually stems from an unpleasant experience in your childhood or maybe you are afraid of needles. Often the strange instruments and the clinical atmosphere of many practices can make people anxious and nervous.
It is important that if you are nervous about seeing that the dentist that you do all you can to get over your fears and attend for regular check-ups. After all, this is the best way to ensure that you don't have to undergo any serious procedures, by helping your dentist to spot problems before they start. Often, people who are afraid of the dentist leave things like toothache too long, so that by the time they finally get to the dentist the tooth is too damaged to save.
How can the team at Nottingham Smiles help me?
There are lots of things we can do to make you more relaxed before and during your appointment, so please feel free to tell us if you are nervous about visiting the surgery. If there is something that we can provide or that you want to bring from home, then we will do our best to accommodate you. Some patients like to bring in favourite films to watch during the procedure or music to help them through the appointment. We will make you as comfortable as possible.
Helping you to overcome your fear
Many people find that their fear of the dentist is a fear of the unknown, so if you would like to come and visit the surgery before your appointment, you are welcome to visit. We can give you a tour around the premises, explain what all the tools are for and give you a chance to meet the staff. This approach can be particularly helpful for children who are nervous about their check-ups.
The option of sedation
If none of these relaxation methods helps, then patients can be sedated while they undergo treatment, though this does make the procedure longer. The sedation is either given orally or intravenously, through an injection in the arm or the back of the hand, which will put you into a dream-like state during treatment.
Our team at Nottingham Smiles will be happy to discuss the option of sedation, and the many other ways to make your treatment more tolerable.
