Painless Dental Care
Our philosophy is to make the dental experience as comfortable
and as pain-free as possible. For many patients it is the
"anticipation of pain" that makes them anxious about having dental
treatment, so we endeavour to minimize this as much as
possible.
One way of reducing this anxiety and fear is to have dental
treatment done with the aid of "Relaxing
Gas" (Nitrous Oxide, Happy Gas) which is administered
through a small mask placed over the nose throughout the duration
of the appointment. The relaxing gas makes you less tense and
somewhat sleepy, hence greatly diminishing the perception of pain
and reducing dental irritations such as fluid collection, gagging
and noise during the dental procedure.
During administration of the relaxing gas, you are still able to
communicate with the dentist and can control the intake through the
nose mask, by breathing more or less through your mouth, thus
altering the level of relaxation which is achieved.
The relaxing gas is safe to use for most children and the
effects wear off 3-5 minutes after the mask is removed, enabling
you to safely drive home.
Another effective method of providing profound anxiety relief
and pain control in the dental chair is through "Sleep
Dentistry" (Intravenous Sedation, Twilight Sedation).
This method uses the services and skills of a qualified Dental
Sedationist to create a dream-like state of deep and calming
relaxation, through a combination of sedative and pain relieving
drugs, administered into a vein on the back of your hand.
The entire procedure is completely monitored and recorded
electronically by the Dental Sedationist, to ensure your comfort
and safety throughout the whole experience. On awaking from the
sedation, patients usually have no recollection of pain, noises,
smells, needles or drilling and time seems to have passed very
quickly. There are 2 main advantages of Sleep Dentistry over
General Anaesthetic: reduced total cost to the patient as the
procedure is carried out at the dental practice and increased
safety as your body maintains full control of its own
breathing.
Many patients take advantage of Sleep Dentistry to complete
treatments that may normally require multiple visits, especially if
they have difficulty keeping their mouth open, or require a lot of
treatment.