DID YOU KNOW THAT THE MAJORITY OF US experience SOME level of dental anxiety? As much as 80%, in fact. Despite our best efforts we know that there’s something that feels inherently vulnerable about lying back in a chair while we examine your mouth. We’ve been patients too.
Communication Can Make You More Comfortable
We want you to feel confident during your visits with us. We believe that one key is open communication between our team and you—our valued patient! Whether you’re extremely nervous during dental appointments, or just slightly uncomfortable, communication helps. However, it’s hard to know exactly how, or what, to communicate sometimes. If you’d really like to explore the reasons you feel nervous about dental visits, here’s a handy questionnaire developed by J.H. Clarke and S. Rustvold at the Oregon Health Sciences University School of Dentistry. If you’d like, look over the first four questions and let us know where you fall on the scale. It’s a simple way to tell us how you’re feeling.
Is Your Appointment Coming Up?
Check out the video below outlining a routine check-up. It could help get you in the right mindset:
Simple Understanding Can Make A Huge Difference
Once we understand a little bit about your triggers and your reaction to dental-related situations, we can do a lot to make you feel comfortable. Some techniques we use include:
- Taking adequate time so you don’t feel rushed or harried.
- Carefully explaining everything before we do it.
- Establishing signals so that you can let us know if you need a break.
We Offer Sedation Dentistry
Dr. Henley received advanced training in IV sedation from the University of Southern California (USC) under the tutelage of renowned dental anesthesiologist Dr. Stanley Malamed in 1990. Dr. Henley has been successfully helping people with fear of dental work via IV sedation ever since.
We Help People Overcome Their Anxiety
It’s not unusual for us to see patients who have avoided the dentist for a long time because of their fears. I remember one particular patient, Betty, who had not seen a dentist in over 15 years. Betty was fearful of the dentist but Betty had an even bigger fear…Betty didn’t want to lose her teeth and end up with dentures as her mother had. She remembered as a young girl her mother never could eat the same stuff as the rest of the family and she noted her mother never smiled in any photographs. Finally when Betty had one of her own teeth break she overcame her fear and called our office. Although Betty had some complex dental issues Betty’s teeth were fortunately not beyond repair. With our help and IV sedation Betty was able to fix her teeth and achieve a healthy mouth once again. Betty, like so many like her, now has complete trust in our office and no longer even requires sedation for minor procedures! Do you know someone else who suffers from severe dental anxiety? Is it compromising their health? Have them give us a call. We can help.
