Does the thought of the next dental appointment cause you panic? Has fear prevented you from going to your dental cleaning or some other preventive dental treatment? Hesitation regarding dental care is a fairly common phobia. Nearly half of the public feel nervous or uncomfortable about going to the dentist or getting dental procedures completed. Our group has devoted themselves to making sure patients feel relaxed and at ease during the course of dental examinations and treatments. If you don’t have a staff that cares for and understands their patients, absolutely nothing else matters! We make an effort to treat and fully understand our own patients as one-of-a-kind individuals and at absolutely no time will we force the patient to feel self-conscious about their dental requirements.

Comfort Treatment Options
The Harbor North Dental team has effective sedation capabilities. We can provide many levels of comfort.

Topical & Local Anesthesia
We begin with a topical solution that ‘pre-numbs’ the injection area. Then the local anesthesia is used to completely numb the area being treated. This temporarily blocks feeling to the nerve and should last one to two hours or longer.

Nitrous Oxide Gas
Almost all dentists agree that nitrous oxide gas (laughing gas) is especially useful for fearful patients. The calming effects are consistently miraculous. Someone who was scared walking into treatment has become relaxed and calm.

IV Sedation
This is a technique used for patients who are terrified to visit the dentist and who thereby suffer from poor oral health as a result. With this procedure, medicine is given through an IV that puts you into a sedated state. During your anesthesia, you will not have any fear of the dentist or dental work. When the procedure is finished, we’ll wake you up and you won’t have any recollection of the procedure. This reduces the anxiety and stress which might accompany that treatment. There is no awareness of treatment during the entire procedure. Pulse, blood pressure, and respiration are continually monitored while sedated. The body rapidly metabolizes these types of anesthetic agents, allowing for a quick recovery.

Below are great tips in lowering dental fear and anxiety:

• • Chat with our doctors – Even though it can be hard to talk about fears with a stranger, our doctors may take extra steps during visits if fears and anxiety are conveyed.
  • Bring an iPod – Music will act as a relaxant as well as drown out any fear-producing noises. Hearing some soothing music throughout this appointment will help to lessen anxiety.
  • Agree on a signal – A lot of individuals are afraid the dentist is not going to know they may be in significant discomfort throughout the procedure. The easiest way to solve this problem is to decide on a “stop” hand sign with the dentist.
  • Use a sore throat spray – Throat sprays (such as Vicks® or Chloraseptic® Throat Spray) may help control the gag response. A couple of sprays will usually keep the reflex within check for around one hour.
  • Take a mirror with you – Not being able to view what is happening can raise stress and anxiety and make the thoughts run wild. Watching the process can help keep actuality at the forefront of the mind.
  • Sedation – Choosing a comfortable level of sedation provides an outstanding option for many.
  • Ask about treatment – Make sure you let us know the depth and extent of treatment plan explanations you require.
  • Go over all of the choices with one of our doctors and decide on the one that works well and produces little anxiety.

Fear Can Be Defeated
We make an effort to do well at the technical facets of dental care but, equally as essential, we also make an effort to take care of our patients’ emotional requirements. Should you have any concerns or questions about how Harbor North Dental will help you get over anxiety and fear, please call our office.