Do You Have An Anxiety About Visiting The Dentist?

Helping our Burton and Ashby patients who suffer with dental phobia.

Being afraid to visit the dentist is not something that you should be ashamed of or embarrassed about. Around a quarter of us express a fear of the dentist and whilst, for some, this is only relatively mild, for others it can be very severe indeed and can have a major negative impact on oral health.

Avoiding dental visits means that early opportunities for spotting dental problems are missed. This will almost inevitably result in more major dental procedures needing to be performed.

Whilst fillings are a likely result, one of the most important reasons for dental check ups is the early detection of gum disease which is easily treated if detected early on but which can result in severe damage and lost teeth if left to advance unchecked.

Some people who acknowledge their dental phobia also actually cause damage to their teeth through over brushing. In an attempt to avoid dental visits, they may brush excessively several times a day and for long periods of time. Whilst, at Alexandra Dental Care, we certainly encourage regular brushing to prevent gum disease and other dental issues; excessive brushing can damage the teeth and gums, thereby making them more susceptible to problems.

Self help and professional care

Milder dental phobics often find that methods such as relaxation or meditation may help to calm them before going to the dentist. We have no problem with these methods and if they work for you, then please do try this.

For those with severe dental phobia though, these techniques may well be insufficient, often leaving the patient still deciding not to attend the practice.

At Alexandra Dental Care, we have many years of experience of treating our patients from the Ashby and Burton area who have severe dental phobia.

By offering sedation for dental procedures, whether invasive or routine, we are able to ensure that these patients can still receive the dental care which will help keep their teeth in good health for years to come.

The sedation is administered intravenously and works by relaxing the patient without putting them to sleep.  This ensures that the patient is able to relax whilst allowing us to ask them questions relating to the procedure if needed.

Many patients have told us that time passes quickly for them whilst sedated and by enabling them to attend our dental practice, we are often able to build up a relationship of trust over a period of time which enables the reliance on sedation to be reduced.

Please be aware that, when you book an appointment with us, using sedation, it is important that you do not come alone as your journey home is better escorted to ensure your personal safety whilst you recover fully.

If you are a dental phobic who would like to get back into the habit of seeing a dentist for regular check ups, please call Alexandra Dental Care on 01283 216347.

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