You walk in the door and smell something pleasant. Are those fresh baked cookies? Yes, they are.
You may want some to drink, too. A hot cup of coffee or tea goes great with cookies.
Where might you have this experience? Possibly at an open house that is for sale or at a morning conference for your job.
Then again, maybe you are a patient at Beaumont Family Dentistry. Our dentists want you to feel as calm and cozy as you can whether you are making the trip from Danville, Richmond, or somewhere else in Central Kentucky to any of our Lexington locations.
If you have stayed away from the dentist for years due to dental anxiety or any other reason, we want to try to change your perception of what dental care can be.
Why Do You Avoid The Dentist?
According to some experts, around 10 percent of Americans experience dental phobia. This can be so bad that many of them avoid stepping foot in a dentist office for any reason … or until they have an inevitable dental emergency.
A higher percent of the population experiences dental anxiety to varying degrees. You may come to the dentist only when absolutely necessary, or you may seeking assistance through comfort and sedation options to get through your routine visits. That’s perfectly all right, which is why we offer both for our patients.
Knowing that you have dental anxiety is a good first step. The challenge may be figuring out the reason for your dental anxiety. You can start by asking yourself some questions. (You may want to keep a notebook handy to write down your answers.)
How would you describe your dental anxiety — mild, moderate, or severe?
Have you had a bad experience with a dentist in the past? If so, can you describe what happened?
Are you afraid of needles?
Are you worried that the dentist will judge you if your teeth aren’t perfect?
Do you gag easily? Are you worried that you will gag during dental care?
Would you prefer to not remember anything about your dental care?
Can you think of anything else that bothers you about going to the dentist?
If you have kept track of your answers, we encourage you to keep it with you when you call. We can explain ways that we may be able to address those concerns.
Comfortable Amenities
From our introduction, we hope you understand that your comfort is an important part of your dental care in our practice.
We have Tempur-Pedic padded chairs in each of our patient rooms. We can provide pillows and blankets to help your feel even more comfortable. If you want to listen to music, we can provide you with headphones.
During your cleaning, we have a professional masseuse who can provide hand and arm massages. You may prefer a relaxing paraffin wax hand dip.
You also should know that we have incorporated technology into our practice to make your dental care as pain-free as we can.
For instance, we use ultrasonic scalers to break up hardened plaque. Traditionally this has been handled by scraping it off your teeth. Instead, our ultrasonic scaler vibrates in a way that breaks down the tartar to remove it.
For patients with gum disease, we can use our dental laser to remove the diseased tissue and seal it. This is simpler than surgery, and it allows you to recover faster than you would if we had to cut into your gums.
Sedation Options
Many patients find our general approach makes it easier to complete their dental care, but we also have patients who would rather not know about anything that is happening when they are in the dentist chair.
For you, we offer two kinds of sedation dentistry. Nitrous oxide (laughing gas) is something you inhale to feel its effects. Oral conscious sedation is as simple as taking a pill about an hour before your treatment begins.
With either of these kinds of sedation, you will relax and remain calm throughout your cleaning or other treatment. You won’t feel any pain. You won’t gag, and you probably won’t remember anything about your procedure.
Start With A Phone Call
Before you make an appointment, give us a call or stop by any Beaumont Family Dentistry office to see what we are like in person. Our staff can answer your questions and explain how we may be able to alleviate some of your dental anxiety.
You can contact any of our dentists in Lexington by calling the office closest to you or by using our online form for that office.