Many people suffering from dental conditions also suffer from dental phobia or anxiety, due to which they become unable to receive the required treatment for their dental condition.

People who suffer from dental phobia often deny care and treatment for their dental conditions, sometimes even for years. In some cases the individual who is too fearful of dental treatments might be suffering from conditions like bleeding from gums, tooth ache and tooth loss

At Liverpool Dental Spa, patients who are anxious of dental treatments are offered sedation. This allows them to be at ease during the treatment. Since the patient is sedated before the treatment begins, they do not feel pain or anxiety during the procedures.

How sedation works

The sedation will be administered through the vein at the back of the hand or arm. After this the patient will feel fully content. The patient will able to breathe and communicate with the dentist under the effect of sedation, but will not feel the pain. It is highly advisable to have a relative or friend accompany the patient to help them get back home while the effect of the sedation wears off.

All over the UK, sedation is being used as an alternative to anaesthesia. Under anaesthesia the patient becomes unconscious, while under sedation even though the patient does not feel any pain or anxiety, they still remain conscious. Patients suffering from dental conditions no longer need to keep suffering due to the fear of pain or discomfort.

Patients suffering from conditions that make it difficult for them to control the movement of their body, for example Parkinson’s disease will also benefit from sedation dentistry.  It also allows the dentist to fully control the treatment, as the patients are not anxious and are more likely to cooperate with dentist. This certainly speeds up the treatment procedure and could even result in reduced number of appointments with dentist for a specific treatment.

Expelliarmus! …no, it’s not that kind of wand. But, for people suffering from dental phobia, this wand is also pretty magical. Dental phobia can be crippling and can even cause such distress in its sufferers that they let their teeth fall into disrepair. Sadly, for some, ‘dental phobia’ can just be an umbrella term for numerous fears that revolve around dentistry, making it hard to tackle. One such sub-fear is the fear of injections, often stemming from that short sharp pain provided by a syringe. What most people don’t know is that the syringe itself isn’t what causes this pain; it is that the syringe’s contents are being delivered too quickly or with a bit too much force. Thankfully, with the wand, this side-effect can be a thing of the past!

What is the wand exactly?

Essentially, the wand is a computer controlled injection system. The flow of the anaesthetic it injects is controlled by a computer and kept at a steady pace, thus removing the human error that can cause pain during injections.

What is so great about it?

Technically the wand’s manufacturers now call it the CompuDent and STA (Single Tooth Anesthesia) System, but it is often referred to colloquially as the wand by patients on account of how effect it is – it’s like magic! Visually, it also looks more like a pen attached to a space-age toaster. It looks non-threatening and studies have found it to be less anxiety inducing than other methods of injection (Kudo et al, 2001). Administration of an anaesthetic via the wand can also reduce the amount of unnecessary numbness in the lips, face, cheek and tongue which can cause discomfort for a few hours after treatment.

Injection method!? So, is there still a needle?

Yes, but it is a small one and it guarantees no pain. If you experience fright at the sight of a needle you need not worry, you’ll hardly be able to see it.

Do all dentists have this?

No, but at Liverpool Dental Spa we do! If you suffer from dental anxiety, please talk to us. We will do everything we can to make your treatment as comfortable as possible.