Sam was scared of the dentist. He didn’t always feel that way, however.
He wouldn’t say he enjoyed going to the dentist as a child, but it didn’t bother him. The dentist and the hygienists were so nice.
Then, he got a cavity as an adult. The dentist he was going to at that time made him feel ashamed of what had happened. Even though the dentist numbed his tooth, the sight and sound of the drill bothered him.
Ever since Sam has made more and more excuses to avoid the dentist office. That’s too bad. We wish Sam lived close to Monroe, LA, because then he could come to our dentist office, Bayou Dental Group. We could show him that the dentist office can be a supportive place.
How We Could Help Sam (Or You)
If Sam can to our office, he would see that our approach to dentistry is different than the last dentist he visited.
When Sam is in one of our dental chairs, he becomes the most important person in the office. While he is being treated, he is the priority for our dentist, Dr. Finley, or they hygienist who is helping him.
We treat everyone like family — and just to be clear, we like our families. Sam will receive the best care that we can provide.
This can be particularly important for someone like Sam, who may not have been to the dentist in years (decades, even) and may have developed some oral health problems in that time.
We know the first visit back to the dentist can be the hardest one to handle emotionally. Please let us know if it’s been awhile since you had a cleaning.
It’s just as important to tell us about the things that cause you to feel anxious, fearful, or tense. We want to make your visit with us as comfortable as possible. Knowing that you have dental anxiety will help us prepare for your visit.
Explaining Your Treatment
We have learned that patients don’t like to be surprised.
For this reason, we do our best to explain what will be happening during your treatment. If we find any problems, we will help you understand what we have found, and we will do our best to explain how we can solve that problem.
When you know what is coming and why we are doing it, this can make it easier for you to receive the care that you need.
We encourage you to ask questions, too. If anything is happening that you don’t understand, please feel free to interrupt to ask us about it.
We don’t want you wondering or worrying about why we are doing anything. We have found that patients are more comfortable when they grasp what is taking place.
Physical Comfort
One way to improve your psychological comfort is to improve your physical comfort.
At the most basic level, we have comfortable dental chairs for our patients when they are receiving a cleaning or any other kind of care.
You can also distract yourself. Some patients prefer to listen to music while other want to watch one of their favorite movies to distract themselves from their dental care.
If there is something else we can do, please ask. We’ll do our best to help.
Dental Sedation
If you have severe dental anxiety, then it may take more than our friendly staff and some soothing music to help you relax. We have a way to help with that, too.
Oral sedation is a safe, simple, and effective way to help patients who are afraid of the dentist receive the care that they need.
Before your treatment begins, you swallow some anti-anxiety medication. This will help in a couple ways. First, it helps you relax. Second, it will prevent you from feeling pain. And third, it may allow you to receive dental care with any memory of your procedure.
For different patients, some of these benefits are more important than others.
If you choose to undergo oral sedation, it’s imperative that you make arrangements for someone else to take you home. The effects of the medication can last for a few hours, and you may want to rest until it wears off.
Do You Know Someone Like Sam?
The Sam we have been describing may not be a real person, but many people deal with similar anxiety when it comes to the dentist. If you live in or near Monroe, LA, Bayou Dental Group would like to help anyone you know who may have dental fear.
Call our office at 318-323-9303 or fill out our online form to learn more.