No one wants to have bad teeth, but for some, the fear of the dentist is so great that necessary care is avoided at all costs. These people are not dental patients, but they can be ER patients when the pain from an untreated condition is so severe that they can't take it anymore.
While poor oral health may seem an obvious complication of avoiding the dentist, anxiety and phobia do you no favors when you are actually in the dentist's chair. A surprising complication of dental fear is that it actually makes the pain worse, so ironically if you are anxious about the pain associated with a procedure, y that pain may be worse.
Researchers believe the relationship between dental anxiety and the severity of dental pain has to do with how anxiety causes a portion of the brain to prepare for the worst possible outcome of a perceived painful procedure. In effect, this hyper-response is the body's way of protecting itself from perceived adverse effects.
The understanding of how anxiety affects pain presents an opportunity for dentists to ease pain through anxiety reduction techniques and accurate and open communication about respective procedures. Dr. Martin and his team at Richmond Smile Center take great pride in their approach to discussing procedures in a way that is transparent and doesn't inspire fear.
Dr. Martin's approach to fighting dental fear includes sedative options. Melting away your dread of the dentist can be as easy as taking a calming pill prior to the appointment. Dr. Martin also knows that even sedatives can inspire fear in some patients, namely the fear that they will not be in control during treatment. With oral conscious sedation, you remain awake during the entire procedure only you will be relaxed and stress free.
Richmond Smile Center also stays abreast of the latest technologies designed to make your experience as comfortable as possible. For example, Dr. Martin offers painless laser dentistry. This approach typically does not require anesthesia. Since it is so gentle, side effects and risk of complications post-treatment are minimized.
Sedation is just one tool that makes Dr. Martin a pain free dentist in Richmond VA. Call 804.417.7203 to share your concerns with the Richmond Smile Center team and to find out what options are best to calm your dental fears.
Last Updated - February 2016
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