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Management Of Dental Anxiety

Dental Anxiety Management

Do you experience anxiety and elevated stress levels whenever your dental appointment draws closer, or when you enter a clinic? Nervousness related to dental clinic settings is very common and is seen in children as well as adults. However, there are several measures that practitioners and dental teams can take to ensure that patients feel completely comfortable prior to, during and after their visit.

The most popular way of calming patients down before a dental treatment is by Sedation. Sedation dentistry is a field that deals with the administration of various drugs and other chemical agents to alleviate signs of anxiety in patients. There are different degrees and types of sedation, the most common of which include:

  • Oral Conscious Sedation: Oral Conscious Sedation refers to the administration of sedative agents by mouth prior to the treatment. These agents work by calming the nerves, while the patient remains fully awake, alert and responsive during the treatment. The effects wear off within a couple of hours, enough for a pain-free, anxiety-free procedure.
  • Inhalation Sedation: As the term suggests, this form of sedation involves inhaling a chemical substance (Nitrous Oxide gas). The effects are similar to oral conscious sedation in that the patient remains awake and alert, but does not feel anxiety or pain.
  • General Anaesthesia: This form of sedation is less common in dental settings, but is used either to perform a complex invasive surgery, or multiple surgeries simultaneously in patients who suffer from severe anxiety related to dental procedures. General anaesthesia renders a patient into a deep sleep and is administered by an Anaesthesiologist.

Apart from sedation dentistry, a few other techniques that have shown positive results in helping patients relax at clinics include aromatherapy, playing soothing music, revamping the interior décor to make the rooms look less ‘sterile’ and intimidating.

If you feel that you may have a phobia of dental clinics and surgeons, give us a call today and we’ll go the extra mile to make sure you feel 100% comfortable during your visit to Dr. Jeanne Taylor DDS!