|
Everyone
experiences anxiety about something.
It's
understandable if you're anxious about seeing a dentist. Stereotyping
dentists has come into being as a sport of its own, interwoven into our
national culture.
Not
a year goes by without Hollywood bolstering that stereotype with yet
another silver screen version of a ham-handed dentist approaching a
wide-eyed patient with a gentle smile, holding a tool that looks as
though it came from the Sears tool department.
And
there never appears to be a shortage of colleagues, friends, neighbors
or clients ready to tell you about their latest horrific trip to the
dentist.
Some
of that may be true at other dental offices. We don't really think it
is, but we can tell you with 100 percent certainty that it isn't true
in our office.
We
understand anxiety and don't discount your feelings. Much of our time
is spent making you more comfortable than you ever thought you could be
in a dentist's chair. How do we do that? Largely by listening to you.
Please
let a member of our staff know if you feel anxious - don't be
embarrassed to say so. Tell us specifically what you are anxious about.
It's important to know exactly what is causing you to feel
uncomfortable about visiting us.
One
way - perhaps the most important way - to reduce your anxiety level is
to make and keep your regularly scheduled appointments for checkups and
cleanings. We get to know
you, you get to know us, and if you do have a problem we can detect and
deal with it while it's a small and manageable.
It's
the patients who put off visits, because they suspect there's a problem
and visualize an unpleasant session, who cause themselves a great deal
of anxiety.
We
won't be shocked if you tell us if you're afraid of pain - we are!
Fortunately, medicines today can almost entirely eliminate any
discomfort.
And
we don't believe in surprises. We'll walk you through exactly what
we're going to do, from start to finish, before we begin. We treat you
the way we like to be treated - with respect, courtesy and genuine
concern about any anxiety.
Another
way we reduce anxiety is by scheduling relatively short sessions, to
treat you a little at a time. Marathon appointments only increase
anxiety levels - often patients are uncomfortable before they arrive if
they think they're in for a four-hour visit. We do our best to keep
appointments to an hour or less.
Try
to get a good night's sleep the evening before an appointment. If
you're being treated for anxiety, we encourage patients to take their
medication (if it doesn't make your drowsy) about an hour before your
appointment. If you like, you can even bring your Walkman and listen to
your favorite music to help keep your mind off your fear.
All
these things can be discussed when you make your appointment. Again,
please let us know of your concerns. It's important to us that when you
leave, you feel good about having kept your appointment, getting the
prescribed work done, and hopefully feeling much less anxious about
your next visit.
We
look forward to changing your mind about dental anxiety and hope you'll
give us the chance to do so.
Sincerely,
Dr. Steven D. Gustafson
Dr. Shari B. Morningstar
|
