Are you one those people who say “I hate the dentist”?

Nervous Patients

You don’t really hate the dentist but you are anxious about visiting a dentist for one reason or another.

It can be daunting visiting the dentist, particularly if you have had a previous bad experience or not been for a long time.

Many of our new patients say they have previously been scared at the dentist as they didn’t understand what was happening and that some people have felt pain but didn’t want to tell the dentist, or worse the dentist didn’t seem to care.

At Belhaven we will do everything we can to make your visit as easy as possible.

There are lots of ways that we can help you:

• Ann, our receptionist is always friendly and sympathetic and will go out of her way to help you.
• If you feel too anxious to see the dentist initially, you can make an appointment with one of our dental nurses. They can show you round the practice and listen to you. They will explain to you what will happen at your check up appointment and if necessary can be your nurse when you first attend, so that there is a familiar face for you.
• All of our dentists will take the time to listen to your problems and we will never judge you on the condition of your teeth and mouth. We are just happy that you have taken the big step to start regular dental appointments to care for your mouth.
• We will explain any treatment required to you as fully as possible., and give you any alternative options available.
• We will always use topical anaesthetic (this freezes the surface of your gum so that any injection feels much easier).
• We pride ourselves on very gentle injection techniques which ease discomfort.
• If at any time you need a break during your treatment just ask.
• If at any time you feel pain during your treatment, tell us. We will stop and can give extra anaesthetic.

Most people find their fear decreases with each visit as they get to know and trust their dentist. This is very satisfying for not just the patient but also all of our team who feel really proud of the many patients we have helped to overcome their fear of the dentist.

If you feel that you can’t cope with dental treatment then you may be able to have sedation. The type of sedation we use is intravenous sedation (IV).