Solutions We Offer - Dental Anxiety

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY:

Patient screening and frequently asked questions for patients who are nervous about their visits.

BEST CASE SCENARIO IF WE ARE ALL 100% CONFIDENT:

We sound like confident experts when patients ask about how to fix their smiles. We also get to help more people who didn’t even know they were candidates for a solution.

WORST CASE SCENARIO IF SOME OF US ARE NOT 100% CONFIDENT:

We don’t know how to answer basic questions and patients lose trust in us. They go to another dentist they don’t know we offer that service. Or they continue to suffer with their teeth, living with embarrassment and discomfort, and not being able to enjoy the foods they want, because nobody ever offered them a solution. We scare them away and they never get their teeth fixed.

WHAT DOES “100% CONFIDENT” MEAN?

1. You can identify patients who are good candidates, and you know how to find out if the patient is aware of their problem, and if they care about fixing it.

2. You can describe the solutions in plain English, including a comparison of cost.

3. You can describe what kind of patient would choose each solution.

4. You can answer the frequently asked questions.

5. You can teach someone else how to do it to the same standard, either from memory or using these notes as a cheat sheet.

WHO IS A GOOD CANDIDATE?

Patients who:

• put off needed dental work because they are scared

• have lots of work to complete in one visit

• have a bad gag reflex

DESCRIBE THE SOLUTIONS IN PLAIN ENGLISH

Solution #1: GA

You can go to sleep and then wake up when you're finished.

Solution #2: Mild sedation

You will be awake, but drowsy. You won't be as aware of what's going on around you, and won't remember everything when you're done.

BALLPARK COMPARISON OF COSTS

For GA, we have to refer to an oral surgeon. Cost can be thousands of dollars per visit.

For mild sedation, it's usually a few hundred dollars per visit, depending on how much work we have to do and how long it will take.

WHAT KIND OF PATIENT WOULD CHOOSE EACH SOLUTION?

GA is usually reserved for patient with EXTREME fear of the dentist. These are patients who won't even sit in the chair or open our mouths. There are some downsides to GA, including cost, risk, and the inconvenience of having to see multiple doctors. Also, there are lots of side effects so these patients are wiped out for at least a full day.

Mild sedation can be given in the form of a pill or nitrous oxide. The doctor will choose which is more appropriate. This type of sedation is less expensive and more convenient for the patient. With oral sedation, the side effects wear off in a few hours. With nitrous, the patient can get up and drive home right away.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:

*** We have a pre-op instruction card for sedation that should be given to patients.

Can I be put to sleep?

Yes - you can. There are 2 types of sedation you can choose. If you wish to be completely asleep, you can have a deep sedation where you are completely out and then wake up when you're done. This is the type of sedation you would get if you had a heart transplant. The downside of doing it this way is that it can cost thousands of dollars per visit. And we have to refer you to a surgeon's office so scheduling can be inconvenient. Usually this type of sedation is reserved for people who are EXTREMELY afraid of the dentist - they won't even step into the office or open their mouths for us to look.

The other type of sedation is a more mild form. You won't be completely asleep, but you will feel drowsy, less aware of what's going on, and you won't remember everything when we're done. This is a lot less expensive and has minimal side effects. This type of sedation is best for people who just want to feel a bit more relaxed in the chair, or want to take the edge off, or feel distracted.

Which type of sedation do you think you would prefer?

Can I drive home after?

It depends on what kind of medication we give you. For some medications, you need someone to drive you home. If we use something like laughing gas, you will feel perfectly fine when we're done and you can drive home yourself with no problems.

WHAT IF:

1. The patient asks questions that you don’t know the answer to.

• “That’s a great question. That's not really my area of expertise, but why don’t we set up a consultation with the doctor. I’ll make sure they get you an answer to all your questions and then you can decide what to do. Is Tuesday or Thursday better for you?”