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Do you have a phobia about attending a dental check-up? Do you need more assistance than you have had in the past to seek dental care?
If so, we can help.
At the UK Dental Specialists, our dentist in St Albans does not take dental phobias lightly and will work with you to ensure you feel safe and supported in our care. We pride ourselves on building and maintaining a good rapport with our patients and will aim to help you overcome this anxiety in your own way and at your own pace. Helping you to feel safe and secure.
In this short guide to how our dentist in St Albans helps our nervous and anxious patients, we will talk you through how we help phobic patients to feel more at ease.
How can you help me to feel relaxed?
When you come to our team at the practice, we will always aim to make you feel as relaxed as possible with the aim of minimal intervention.
We will take the time to get to know you, learn what some of your anxieties are surrounding dental care and will work with you to make you feel comfortable as our team does their work.
Of course, if you have a more extreme phobia or anxiety, we will be able to offer you conscious sedation to help you relax.
What is conscious sedation?
Conscious sedation is used in medicine and dentistry to block discomfort and to alleviate anxieties that a person may have, enabling them to receive a procedure.
At the UK Dental Specialists, our dentist in St Albans will typically use intravenous (or IV) sedation, which is administered via an injection in the arm. This will help you to relax while our team works on your mouth and will also eliminate the need for extensive numbing agents to be injected.
How long do the effects last?
As we are controlling the dosage and as it is being administered via an injection and a drip, it lasts as long as we need it to.
If you are having the injection for a routine check-up to ease anxiety, it can last for 15 minutes. If we are performing a root canal, we can make it last up to an hour. All you need to do is lie back, relax and let our team make you feel comfortable.
Will I need to bring someone with me to take me home?
Yes, you will.
We will always advise our patients who will be undergoing conscious sedation to bring an age-appropriate, responsible friend or family member along to escort them home afterwards. You should avoid taking public transport and, if possible, your escort should drive you straight home.
You will need to avoid operating heavy machinery for 24 hours post-sedation.
When can I return to work following conscious sedation?
Usually, you will be able to return to work the next day, but we do advise caution if you have a manual job. If possible, we will aim to perform any conscious sedation procedures when you do not have to return to work the following day, to allow the drugs to fully leave your system.
During these 24 hours post-sedation. you should not take any sleeping pills or drink alcohol. You should take care when climbing stairs and, if you feel unwell at any time, seek urgent medical attention.