Treatment
Treatment for dental anxiety in Market Harborough
Fear of the dentist is common, and fear of root canal treatment is more common still. It should never be the reason a tooth is lost. Angel has a particular interest in treating patients who find dental care difficult, and every appointment is planned so that you know what will happen, feel nothing sharp and stay in control from start to finish.
Why root canal treatment worries people
Most of the fear attached to root canal treatment comes from its reputation rather than from the treatment itself. Modern endodontic treatment, carried out under local anaesthetic with the tooth isolated and the clinician working under a microscope, feels to most patients like a long filling: pressure and vibration, but not pain. The difficulty for anxious patients is rarely the procedure — it is the anticipation, the sense of not knowing what is coming and the feeling of being unable to stop.
That is exactly what a patient-centred approach is designed to address.
How anxious patients are looked after
- Tell us when you book. Knowing that you are nervous changes how the appointment is planned. Nothing you say will be judged — a large proportion of patients feel the same way.
- An explanation before anything happens. At the consultation you will be talked through what is wrong, what the treatment involves and what you will feel at each stage. You decide whether and when to go ahead.
- Anaesthetic that is tested first. Treatment does not start until the tooth is fully numb and you have confirmed it. If anything feels sharp at any point, more anaesthetic is given.
- A signal to pause. You agree a simple hand signal beforehand; raise it and everything stops until you are ready to continue. Breaks are built in if you want them.
- Unhurried appointments. Appointments are long enough to go at your pace. Most root canal treatments are still completed in a single visit.
- The same clinician throughout. You see Angel Ognemirov at every visit, so you never have to explain your worries twice.
Dental sedation
For some patients, a calm environment and a careful clinician are not enough on their own, and sedation makes treatment possible that would otherwise be put off indefinitely. Angel has completed training in oral and intravenous dental sedation at Guy's Hospital in London and is a member of the Society for the Advancement of Anaesthesia in Dentistry (SAAD).
Whether sedation is a suitable option for you depends on your medical history, the treatment planned and your own preference, so it is discussed individually at your consultation rather than promised in advance. If sedation is arranged you will receive clear written instructions beforehand, including the need for an adult escort to take you home afterwards.
What patients tell us afterwards
The most common comment from anxious patients after root canal treatment is that it was far easier than they had feared. The second most common is regret at having put it off for so long — usually through months of intermittent pain. If a tooth is worrying you, a consultation commits you to nothing; it simply tells you what is wrong and what the options are, in writing, so that you can decide calmly.
Emergency care for nervous patients
Severe pain does not wait for you to feel brave. If you are in pain, say so when you book and mention that you are anxious — acute cases are seen promptly, the pain is dealt with first and the full treatment is planned once you are comfortable. See emergency root canal treatment.