IV Sedation – Your First Step To Tackling Dental Phobia
According to statistics from the Oral Health Foundation, almost 36% of adults in the UK suffer from moderate dental phobia with 12% of this figure suffering from extreme fear of the dentist. Dental phobia even ranks higher than the fear of heights for people in the UK! With this in mind, here at Smile Up we are committed to making our patients feel at ease and comfortable in their surroundings.
Our team is made up of people who take a genuine interest in your wellbeing and a lot of pride in working with nervous patients, building up their confidence so that they can have the smile they deserve. IV (intravenous) sedation, one of the biggest developments in modern dentistry, is a highly effective way of curbing dental anxiety and can change a patient’s entire perception of the dentist.
Many people put off having the treatment they need because of nerves, putting themselves at risk of developing conditions such as tooth decay and gum disease. IV sedation places patients at total ease about their forthcoming treatment and many patients find that once they have had a couple of procedures carried out under IV sedation, they do not need it in the future as their nerves have subsided.
How does IV sedation help nervous patients?
Here at Smile Up we use the most commonly used drug, Midazolam, an amnesic that is administered via a cannula (usually on the back of the hand), allowing your dentist to alter the amount of the drug depending on the patient. The amnesic quality of the drug means you will remember little or even none of the procedure, but you will still be conscious and able to co-operate with the dentist should they need you to open your mouth a little wider, for example. A further benefit of IV sedation is that it takes away any chance of inducing a gag reflex, which often occurs when you have a dentist poking around in your mouth! As you will be in a docile and relaxed state, the dentist can get on and perform treatment efficiently, streamlining the overall treatment process. The effects of IV sedation take as few as 2 minutes to kick in, which is great news for nervous patients who do not have to sit and worry in anxious anticipation for long.
We are open 7 days a week, so you don’t have to worry about fitting your appointment in around the working week if this is not an option for you. We also speak a diversity of languages including Spanish, French, Portuguese, Italian, Polish and Bulgarian and our website is translatable into the latter with the addition of Greek.
Contact our friendly team today to book your appointment with us here in Lewisham if you’re looking for a Bromley dentist.
