Posts Tagged ‘Memory’

Dentistry can bring on night sweats, rapid heart beat, hyperventilation and all of the symptoms of a huge anxiety rush.  This type of feeling is usually felt before a dental appointment for those who have had bad experiences.

These bad events can stay with people for decades.  The level of fear can last for many years because the fear is ingrained into that person’s memory.  Because we deal with very close spaces and are directly in one of the most sensitive and personal areas on the human body trust must be one of the most importent issues that the dental patient must have.

Modern dentistry has equipped ourselves to deal with these issues to make visits much more comfortable.  For example, we use sedation to put people in a state where they have no memory of their procedure and are very relaxed when they get to the office and during the procedures.  It also allows for them to get many services done at one visit so they don’t have to continually return to our office.  Another option is to plug in a DVD into our virtual reality glasses and watch a movie.

It is critical to have dental procedures pain free.  Anesthetics properly administered do a great job in controlling pain and therefore anxiety, and as a result trust starts to become developed.

Because fear comes from a loss of control it is very important that you are in complete control of the procedure and have a way of stopping if you need a break or are in pain and in need of additional anesthesia.

Anxiety stems from fear of the unknown and when you are not sure the anxiety increases.  It is also very helpful if all of your questions are answered when you need additional information.

Because relationships are so important and can’t be stressed enough we have personal interviews with the patient so that their needs are met and so that there are no misunderstandings.

Please don’t let your bad experiences affect your present condition. Modern dentistry emphasizes prevention over all other things so do yourself a favor and don’t delay this any longer.   Your needs will be met and you will be comfortable having treatment as this is my promise. You will be amazed at how easy and user friendly dental care can be.

It is easier said than done, but don’t be embarrassed if you haven’t been to a dentist in years and are afraid of past judgments from the dentist.   A modern dentist will help you look forward to your future care and would never lecture you.

Question: I have a tremendous amount of fear when it comes to going to the dentist.    It has gotten to the point where I have to go and don’t know what to do.  Help!!!!

Answer:  You and many other patients come in to see us with this exact problem.  Past visits at the dentist have in some circumstances “paralyzed”  patients with hear and then put off appointments for years.  These bad and usually very traumatic experiences can stay with people for decades.  In fact I saw a patient the other day who was in his 80s and he could remember every detail of a visit when he was a child that kept him from visiting the dentist for over 60 years.

Modern dentistry has responded to these issues to make visits much more comfortable.  For example, we use sedation to put people in a state where they have no memory of their procedure and are very relaxed when they get to the office.  It also allows for them to get many procedures done at one visit so they don’t have to continually return to our office.  Another option is to watch a movie on our virtual reality glasses.  Dental procedures fly by while you watch your favorite movie.

It is critical to have dental procedures pain free.  Anesthetics properly administered do a wonderful job in controlling pain and therefore anxiety, which means injecting slowly with compassion using topical anesthetic before the injection eliminates the prick from an injection.

Because fear comes from a loss of control it is very important that you are in complete control of the procedure and have a way of stopping if you need a break or are in pain and in need of additional anesthesia.

Anxiety arises from fear of the unknown and when you are expecting pain the anxiety even heightens even more.  It is also very helpful if all of your questions are answered when you need additional information.

At TheGentleDentist.com we take the time to know our patients to the point where they feel comfortable because it is like seeing an old friend.  These relationships are important and can’t be stressed enough.

Please don’t let your bad experiences affect your present condition. Modern dentistry emphasizes prevention over all other things so do yourself a favor and don’t delay this any longer.   You will be amazed at how easy and user friendly dental care can be.  Also don’t be embarrassed if you haven’t been to a dentist in years and are afraid of past judgments from the dentist.   A modern dentist will help you look forward to your future care and would never lecture you.

At www.TheGentleDentist.com  we provide all phases of dentistry including cosmetic dentistry, dental implants and general dentistry for the entire family.  What is necessary with all our treatments is to get the potential patient into the chair.  This may seem obvious, but I can tell you of many who have avoided the dentist because of their intense fear of the dentist.  This fear is typically generated as a young child who had no say so on their care.  The dentist usually hurt them and they just had to endure the pain no matter how intense it was.  Being a child or even as an adult these patients were at the mercy of someone they feared.   After this horrible experience they make an agreement with themselves that they will NEVER, NEVER put themselves in this postion again.   After many years of internally battling with themselves to go to the dentist a situation will present such as a bad toothache or a broken front tooth  and they have no choice but to see the dentist.  And that is when we or other modern caring dentists come into play:

At our office we truly understand these fears and work at a pace appropriate to our patient to create a positive experience.Oral conscious sedation is a great way to have hours of dentistry done in one visit.   With the use of a small sleeping pill taken 1 hour before your dental appointment you will have virtually no memory of the procedure.  If you are:

• Nervous from similar a bad experiences as described above and said “I will never go back to the dentist again”
• Have a difficult time with gagging
• Need a lot of dental procedures done but don’t have the time to return over and over again to get it done.
• Need multiple procedures such as crown, extractions, root canals and implant placement done and you don’t want to go to multiple dental offices. 
• The truth is that you don’t have to wait any more.

Dr. Antolak has been providing cosmetic, implant, sedation and general dentistry for the last 22 years so give us a call now for your free consultation at (586)247-3500 or visit our website at www.TheGentleDentist.com.  Our office is in Shelby Twp. MI.