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Welcoming nervous patients to our dentist

Deep concerns about our dental care are not uncommon. At our dentist Navan, we provide understanding and investment to help you get access to the care you need. We open the door not only to better treatment, but also to overcoming barriers and anxieties.

Value of regular check-ups

There is great value in regular check-ups at a dental surgery. It allows us to investigate cavities, prevent gum conditions from worsening, assess misalignments and stop the build-up of tartar. We can also assess if you have cavities in hard-to-reach places, such as in between your teeth. This is easily done in a non-invasive way, using our X-ray machine.

General dentistry

The main focus of our dentist Navan is to reduce harm. Many dental conditions will continue to progress unless intervention is taken. Most of these interventions fall into the category of general dentistry, whether it's the scale and polish carried out by our hygienist, fillings or root canals resolving active decay or an ongoing dental abscess. There are elements that focus on reconstruction and there is always a consideration for aesthetics, but the priority is to maintain the health and the function of your teeth.

Overcoming and getting better

Overcoming or even considering challenging dental anxiety is not just understanding that dental care is important. It's a weigh up between the very real visceral discomfort check-ups can generate due to anxiety, compared to the discomfort caused by a worsening dental condition. Many patients in this mind set will attend emergency appointments, but as soon as the symptoms are partially resolved, they will not attend follow-ups and certainly not check-ups.

Sedation vs local numbing

Many nervous patients need a less direct approach to their care. Starting with the adoption of sedation over local numbing. Local anaesthetic options have gained popularity in surgeries due to their convenient use and the fact that they have a relatively long effect. They are not disruptive to patients' lives after the procedure, but they do not have the calming effects of sedation that anxious patients require. We provide sedation for any treatments that the patient wishes to be sedated for, even if it is not medically necessary. Getting treatment and intravenous sedation may be the only option that some patients will consider tolerable.

During IV sedation, you do not lose consciousness, you become extremely relaxed and open to suggestion. This allows communication to continue between you and our dental staff, making it far easier to monitor how you're doing. You will experience no sensations of the procedure or have any memories of the procedure afterwards.

If you are planning to have intravenous sedation, please make sure that you have a reliable escort as you will not be able to drive for 24 hours post-administration and will be in an extremely calm and compliant state. This can be dangerous if you are not monitored.

After any essential interventions are completed at our dentist Navan, we would recommend that you continue seeing us throughout the course of your treatment, and perhaps face less invasive treatments without sedation, but this can be done at your own pace. Please note that we also accept medical card patients.