NERVOUS PATIENTS
Is there anything that can help me with my fear of the dentist?
Yes. Some people are so frightened of the dentist that they will not go for dental treatment. They can overcome their fears with relaxation or sedation. Our dentists are sympathetic about these feelings, and you can ask our dentists about these ways to help.
What is sedation?
We offer an intravenous or IV sedation. This is given by injection, either in the back of your hand or in your arm. The dose will depend on the amount of treatment needed and the length of time it will take to complete.
How will IV sedation in the surgery affect me?
You become drowsy and unaware of any treatment, but you are still able to co-operate with the dentist. The effects of sedative medicine take some time to wear off and your dentist will tell you how long the drugs will take to clear from your body. You won’t be able to drink alcohol, drive or work machinery during this time.
What else can help?
You can be helped to feel relaxed by ‘relative analgesia’ sometimes known as inhalation sedation. This means breathing in a mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen (‘laughing gas’) which quickly leads to a pleasant, relaxed feeling. The dentist puts you at ease at the same time, by talking softly and suggesting what you feel. You remain conscious all the time, although you may be a little drowsy, and any treatment given causes you no discomfort. You breathe in the mixture through a nosepiece, which is very comfortable. You can’t overdose on the gas, as the mixture quickly leaves the body if you breathe in one or two breaths of ordinary air. There are no after-effects either, and you can drive a car after about 15 minutes. Many dentists use this safe and effective technique.
How does relaxation work?
When we are faced with a challenge or something we’re afraid of, such as a visit to the dentist, our bodies produce substances, which raise our anxiety. However, we can train our bodies to work against this anxiety, by learning to relax. It’s not possible to be anxious and relaxed at the same time, so learning relaxation helps control our anxiety.
Dear Patient Following the government announcement on 4th January 2021 regarding a national lockdown, we would like to reassure our patients that our practice will remain open for on going and emergency dental treatment. We hope you and your loved ones are keeping well at this time. Pearl Dental Care Centre opened on Monday 15th June 2020 following government guidelines where we initially prioritised seeing patients for urgent dental care. We are pleased to inform you that we have resumed dental and hygienist services as normal. Our community has been through a lot over the last few months, and all of us are looking forward to resuming our normal habits and routines. While many things have changed, one thing has remained the same: our commitment to your safety. Infection control has always been a top priority for our practice and you may have seen this during your visits to our surgery. Our practice follows infection control guidelines produced by multiple governing bodies. In light of the current situation we have ensured that our infection control procedures are stringent and adhere to recommendations. At Pearl Dental Care, we pride ourselves on our levels of high-quality care and unparalleled expertise. Building on this existing foundation, we have incorporated protective screens in reception, wider use of disposable PPE during treatments, and higher frequency practice cleaning post treatment and throughout the practice as a response to COVID19. Please be rest assured that we will not be compromising on the safety of our staff or patients, therefore in addition to the strict protocols issued to us by the health care authorities, our practice has also: To ensure a safe environment we are screening all patients that attend and updating medical history information prior to the appointment so that we can provide the best possible care. Please note: we have implemented a new process whereby we will be sending out each patient a text message appointment reminder which includes a link to a confidential and secure portal to update your medical history and fill out a COVID questionnaire, which can be done in the comfort of your own home. We have implemented this new feature to minimise time spent at the surgery, ensure a contactless process and adhere to NHS England guidelines. You may see some changes when it is time for your next appointment. We have implemented these changes to help protect our patients and staff. For example: We will allow greater time between patients to reduce waiting times for you, as well as reducing the number of patients in the reception area at any one time. How you can help: We would like to thank you all and are humbled by your support and patience during this difficult time and look forward to welcoming you back to our practice. Should you have any queries please call the practice on 020 8907 3440. Kind Regards, Dr A Soneji & Dr J L Soneji and the Pearl Dental Care Team
Pearl Dental Care Centre
269 Kenton Road
Kenton
Harrow
HA3 0HQ
Contact No: 020 8907 3440
www.pearlsmile.co.uk
pearlsmile@hotmail.co.uk