Anxious Patients

Many patients experience anxiety, phobias or fear when they go to the dentist. This is often a result from a traumatic past experience with invasive treatment methods. Consequently, many of these patients do not visit their dentists as often as is recommended, and conditions can remain undetected and untreated for extended periods of time. Furthermore, when they do visit the dentists their experience is largely stressful and unpleasant. At Newcastle Family Dental we are committed to making your experience a positive, stress free one. For this reason our practice is designed to be a comfortable relaxing environment and we also have a variety of treatment options available to enable patients suffering from anxiety, fear or a specific medical condition can undergo their treatment in a relaxed, stress free state.

Penthrox

Penthrox is a self-medication tool that administers methoxyfulrane to reduce stress and pain. This inhaler gives the patient the chance to have complete control over their pain relief. Although Penthrox does not completely eliminate all pain it does significantly reduce its effects.

Intravenous (IV) Sedation

At Newcastle Family Dental IV sedation is administered by a qualified anaesthetist who will visit the practice upon any pre-booked appointments for patients who have requested it. IV sedation is often known as ‘sleep’ or ‘twilight’ dentistry and allows for the patient to complete their treatment in a relaxed, anxiety-free manner. Although patients remain conscious throughout treatment they will experience no pain and a feeling of deep relaxation, and upon awakening will remember little, if any, of their treatment.

IV sedation is the perfect options for,

•  Patients who suffer from nervousness, phobias or anxiety
•  Patients suffering from specific medical (both physical or mental) conditions
•  Those who are undergoing multiple procedures in a single visit
•  Patients with particularly complex or extensive treatments

Nitrous Oxide (Happy Gas)

Happy Gas or nitrous oxide is a safe, widely used sedative method for children and adults alike. As a colourless and odourless gas, nitrous oxide has a slightly sweet taste and smell which makes it a particularly viable option for children with anxiety or undergoing complex treatment. Upon inhaling happy gas patients will experience feelings of deep relaxing or acute joy for the duration of their treatment. Once the treatment is complete the effects of the gas will cease following a few deep breaths of fresh air.

General Anaesthetic (hunter valley private)

For those patients with severe anxiety or phobias or particular medical conditions who do not wish to remain conscious throughout their treatment, our experienced team conduct treatments on a monthly basis at the Hunter Valley Private Hospital for patients who request general anaesthetics. This is also a useful option for patients undergoing especially complex, invasive or extensive treatments.

For further information on any of the above options, or if you feel they are they answer for you, contact our caring team to arrange a consultation and make your next visit a positive, relaxed experience.