24 November 2014
Dental Phobia
Dental Phobia
So many people have had an uncomfortable, or even a scary, experience of dentists when they were children. Perhaps your parent suffered from a dental phobia or anxiety by which you have been affected. Perhaps it is the sounds and smells which upset you. Or perhaps you have had a brusque or painful experience in the past.
We care about your comfort
Our clinical director, Dr. Shi Karim, is passionate about helping those patients with dental phobia overcome their fears. He is a Dental Phobia Certified practitioner, and his enthusiasm for improving patient comfort – along with that of the rest or our team at Church Road Dental & Cosmetics in Manchester – ensures a uniquely personal and pleasant experience.
How we can help
One of the unique services that we offer is a free eCourse, ‘Overcome your Dental Fear’. Simply sign up via our website, and we will send you a 7-email course, helping you to prepare to the dentist fear-free.
Our course helps you to take ownership of your fear, and the steps to overcome it.
Preventing phobia
It is our opinion – backed by years of experience – that the most important thing in helping a patient to overcome their phobia is a sympathetic and knowledgeable dentist. This is what you will find here at Church Road. We will always take the time to listen to your concerns, and to work with you to find the best method for managing your anxiety in order for your treatment to be a success.
Dental sedation
One of the methods we can use for patients who fear a visit to the dentist is dental sedation. This usually takes one of three forms: oral sedation, inhalation sedation, or intravenous sedation. This might mean the use of nitrous oxide – or ‘gas and air’ – or benzodiazepines to help relax a patient prior to treatment.
Dental sedation is not only useful for patients with dental phobia, but also for those who have a physical condition which might make dental treatment more tricky, or uncomfortable. This could be something like Parkinson’s, or a stroke, which can cause tremors, or a hypersensitive pharyngeal (gag) reflex.
As with any form of medication, the decision to use dental sedation is never taken lightly. We will consult with you in detail to ensure that it would be the right choice, to ensure that it would be helpful, and – most importantly- to ensure that there would be no negative side effects. It is important that you inform your dentist if you are currently taking any other medication, or if you have ever had an allergic or negative reaction to a medication or sedative.
It may be that dental sedation is not for you, in which case we can discuss other options, including the use of dental hypnotherapy, whereby a patient is treated under hypnosis.
If you have any questions about dental phobia, or dental sedation, please do not hesitate to contact us, and let us help you to have the smile that you deserve.