Feeling nervous about visiting the dentist for your next appointment? Maybe you feel uncertain of what will happen and are thinking twice about actually attending. Don’t worry, visiting the dentist isn’t as draconian as it used to be! Infact there are more reasons than ever to visit the dentist.

Nervous patients can now be offered dental sedation to help them feel completely relaxed and at ease, so they’re not aware of anything that’s going on during the procedure. There are many benefits to this, some of which include that it allows the patient to relax. It also allows their treatment to be tailor made to each individual so that over time less and less sedative needs to be given until the patient becomes completely comfortable with the treatment. There is also another benefit to this which is that it’s quick and easy to administer and can help patients to overcome their fear of undertaking complex dental treatments.

At Woodborough House, we offer dental sedation in the form of an oral sedative or intravenous injection where necessary. This kind of sedation is ideal for nervous patients as it instantly helps them to relax and feel better able to cope with the dental treatment with which they are about to receive.

Risks

There are virtually no risks if dental sedation is managed and administered appropriately. It simply helps the patient to feel relaxed and overcome their fears, so you should feel as relaxed as any non-nervous patients do. We understand that some patients understandably feel nervous and need time to think about coming for a dental appointment. If you’re thinking about dental sedation then you should make sure you see a dentist who is prepared to give you the time you need, who will listen to all your fears and put a plan together to get you dentally fit and to alleviate your fears so that you can go forward with dental treatment.

What kind of sedative do you use at Woodborough House?

Oral sedation is the preferred alternative here at Woodborough House because it involves taking a sedative pill with some water around one hour before the procedure. This form of sedation is the easiest for most patients and lasts for around 16-24 hours.  There are many forms of dental sedation but there are very few cases where sedation is not suitable. It is really just a case of administering the right one according to the patient’s needs.

Many of our patients love the fact we offer dental sedation as it makes the dental procedure less daunting overall. It also means that patients are more likely to return to the practice and recommend Woodbrough House to their friends and family. For some patients it gets to a point where they feel so comfortable at the practice no sedation is required at all!

For more information about dental sedation, why not give us a call on 0118 984 3108 and one of our team will be happy to assist you.

Are you feeling nervous about your upcoming dental visit? You have nothing to fear. Here at Woodborough House we can help you to overcome your dental phobia by offering a range of advice and procedures to help to calm your nerves.

Fear of the Dentist

Every patient who comes into the practice will have a degree of nervousness or anxiety about sitting down in the dental chair. According to the website Dental Fear Central, recent studies have shown that 80-85% of dental phobias are caused by previous bad experiences with dentists. So there’s no need to feel alone – it’s a lot more common than you think!

Addressing your Fear

One way of addressing these issues about your fear of the dentist, is to look at the root cause. If you listen to other people’s worries and fears for example, it can create a biased and negative view of dental treatment. Many patients may have a long-standing fear of dentists as a result of previous bad experiences, usually from a young age.

It is important to be realistic and realise that dentistry has evolved dramatically in recent years, so if you have that feeling about the ‘fear of the unknown’, simply ask your dentist to explain the procedure in full prior to the treatment and he or she will be more than happy to help. This can be a powerful and effective way of reducing this fear.

Other calming methods you might like to try including bringing someone with you to your dental appointment, building up a good relationship with your dentist and remembering to take deep breaths! It also helps to let your dental team know in advance that you are nervous, so they can do all they can to ensure you have an anxiety-free visit.

The dentist performing your procedure can provide you with a full explanation of the treatment involved and will be completely honest with you regarding your expectations and the desired results, so you’ll know exactly what to expect.

Dental Sedation

Should you require it, we can offer you dental sedation. Sedation is a relaxed pharmaceutical agent which is used to help reduce any feelings of anxiety and to give you a more relaxed experience at the dentist. It is perfectly safe to use and extremely effective if it’s conducted with the correct setup and aftercare.

At Woodborough House, we usually offer this in the form of an oral sedative (i.e a pill) or the intravenous sedation (an injection) as part of a safe and predictable routine. Our Patient Co-ordinator Cathy Hickey can administer a sedative to calm your nerves, monitoring your reaction to it and adjusting the dose as necessary.

Am I suitable for a sedative?

Most patients make suitable sedative candidates. However, there are a few medical conditions which may affect suitability, so the decision will be made by your dentist.

Many are so frightened of the dentist that they avoid dental treatment altogether. We offer a number of approaches to help you overcome your fear of the dentist so that we can give you a healthy smile. One of the most important parts of our job is to ensure that we listen to you carefully and understand your needs and concerns we are very experienced in treating nervous patients and feel that this is one of the most important elements in solving your dental phobia. We also offer sedation dentistry for patients who are particularly nervous.

An effective way to treat the most nervous of patients is via intravenous sedation (injection). The medications that we use have a relaxing and calming effect but don’t prevent communication between dentist and patient so treatment can still be carried out easily. Weight, age and medical condition must be assessed before suitability for this kind of sedation is determined but this would all be discussed during your consultation.

Whilst IV sedation will make you drowsy and unaware of the treatment you are undergoing, you will remain lucid enough to communicate and cooperate with our team. The feelings of relaxation will be intense enough for you not to remember much about what happened under treatment. This is because the kind of drugs that are used can bring about amnesia, either in part or in full, from the time you begin to feel the effects of the sedation, to the time the effect wears off.The effects of the sedative will take time to wear off and you won’t be able to drink alcohol, drive or work machinery during this time so it is important that someone can help you home after treatment and keep a careful eye on you for sometime afterwards.

If you are nervous about consulting dentist, we can help you overcome your fears of the dentistry and make treatment an enjoyable experience.

iTero enables a perfect fit and therefore  the  possibility of soreness and swelling associated with a probable  poor fitting is eleminated. A perfect fit will also increase the efficacy of the restoration which would in turn, improves the overall aesthetics.  A restoration will not function as effectively as it could if it doesn’t fit properly.  iTero helps to improve efficacy and also increases patient comfort. iTero also helps to prevent mistakes and patients can benefit from their new restoration  from day one and don’t have to  come back to dentist re-fitting / adjustments . Treatment time is also shorter using iTero.

Many patients also find it very uncomfortable having a mould created, as the sensation of having dental putty in your mouth can be very unpleasant. For some people, this process can stimulate their gag reflex, which may be unpleasant and embarrassing. The process can also be messy and time consuming.

Using iTero can be particularly beneficial for nervous patients and those who suffer from dental phobia, as the feeling of having dental putty in the mouth can be rather uncomfortable and time consuming. iTero simply uses a scanner, which produces images of the mouth within seconds.

Woodboroughhouse Dental practice is one of the pioneer cosmetic dentistry  in UK and making a difference in people’s lives. Contact us to know more about iTero.

Coming to the dentist is not everyone’s cup of tea, and at WH we understand that for some people it can be scary and distressing.

Me and Sen recently saw a lovely lady who has been coming to the practice for many years now, but has always been unable to get her young son to come with her. Children are often influenced by how their parents behave at the dentist, or by what they say about visiting the practice. This child had picked up on that vibe.

We don’t want to pressure and push children in to doing things they don’twant to do. That doesn’t help anyone. Instead we invited this young 8 year old to just come in, have a hot chocolate, and to meet me and Sen. We didn’t do any treatment. We didn’t even ask him to sit in the dental chair. We just wanted him to feel more comfortable about being in surgery and being with us. A few days later he came back in to see us. This time for a dental check up. He was so brave. We explained everything to him, showed him all the instruments and materials we use and he was fine. He even managed to have a small filling done!

After over coming his fear of the dentist, and realising that we are not here to hurt or scare him, he promised us that he will always come to his check up appointment. On one condition though…………that I would make him a hot chocolate! I’m sure I can manage that. Its the least we can do.

If you child, or yourself, is afraid or nervous about treatment, then please let our team know. We can do all we can to make your experience less daunting, and make it one that is more relaxed and comfortable. We want to keep you smiling

Phew. Busy day at WH today! Nick and Steph have been in surgery placing a dental implant for one of our dear patients. The patient has had one before, and swears by it! She had to have a tooth extracted, and to replace the space she decided to invest in another implant. The case was a complex one, as Nick had to do a bone graft. With the use of CT Scans and radiographs Nick is able to place the implant in exactly the correct position. It was a busy few hours, but the time flew for our patient as she had some of our oral sedation (and my IPod). We look forward to seeing the end result.

Well I am off now to enjoy the weekend. I will be back next week for more blogging. Hope you aren’t getting bored of my ranting yet. The stories will continue……

If you visit Woodborough House today, you may see a familiar face wondering around the practice. No, it isn’t a ghost of WH past, it is our recently retired practice manager Linda! After leaving the practice, she decided it was time to fix up her teeth. She is investing in some Dental Implants to replace some missing teeth. Dental implants are titanium fixtures that fuse with the jawbone. They replicate the natural root structure of a tooth and provide a fit that is very secure and natural looking. They definitely are the best thing since sliced bread!

 She has been to see Nick several times for consultations, radiographs, impression appointments, photos, you name it, and today is the big day! All the girls are ready for her arrival, and all hands are on deck. Linda is also indulging in some of our oral sedation. No dancing on the work tops Linda!! We are all excited about seeing the final resultsof the treatment. I’m sure she will be smiling from ear to ear.

If you are interested in Dental Implants or would like to know what treatment options are available for you, feel free ring our reception team and they will be able to book you an appointment with our patient co-coordinators or a dentist. Alternatively check out our website for information.

Me and Sen saw one of our favourite patients today. He is also one of our most nervous patients! He has told us many stories of visiting the dentist when he was younger, and also seeing dentists abroad which has made him feel very “jumpy” in the dental chair. It doesnt help that he has very very sensitive teeth! To make his appointment less traumatic for him, he decided to have oral sedation, as we had several fillings to do. We also needed to give him a good scale and polish. He asked me if we could “put a wooly hat on his teeth” as the water and suction was setting of his sensitivity. We have many lotions and potions here to help with this kind of problem, so Sen applied a fluoride varnish to help calm it down. After this, he was fine. He even seemed to be enjoying it at one point.

If you have similar problems or feel anxious about having treatment, then speak to us! We won’t know if you do not tell us. We can then do all we can to help make your visit here at WH a more pleasent one. You could even just pop in for a coffee and a “mooch” around if you want to, before having anything done. Just ask one us. We want to do all we can to keep you smiling

Today at the practice, we have been bombarded with tooth aches! It always seems to be around this time of year that people start to suffer. This shows just how important regular dental examinations are. Our patients have been coming in complaining of pain on biting, being woken at night, or dull aches. Nae was able to take radiographs and diagnose the problem tooth or teeth. Many people become extremely nervous when the word “root canal” is mentioned, but this may be because they may not know exactly what it involves. Root Canal is basically dis-infecting and cleaning the tooth. Small instruments are used to help clean out the tooth and a rubber material is used to fill the root canal. We have the great advantage of having Raquel, our in house Endodontist. She has a special interest in endodontics, and has treated our most complex cases with great success. She is lovely, and all the WH Team are so pleased she has joined us. We want to keep you all smiling, so providing our patients with the highest professional care is one of the ways we can achieve this.  If you have any questions regarding root canal treatment then please ask our team.

It has been flat out here at the practice over the last few days!  We have had Lama, our periodontist busy treating periodontal disease , Nick has been placing implants left, right and centre not to mention the everyday goings on in the general practice.  One of our implant patients came to see us all the way from Buckinghamshire, she needed a new front tooth.  After much discussion and careful planning she received her new tooth yesterday.  She has to wait a few weeks before she gets her real tooth but is already overjoyed with just the temporary.  She found the procedure painless, not to mention she took a liking to our oral sedation!  She is very excited about getting married next year and now she will look the part and no longer feel self conscious about her smile.  For more information on dental implants  call us…….. and remember we keep you smiling!