North Brisbane Dental Clinic

(07) 3632 8100

North Brisbane Dental Clinic > Services > Anxiety and Sedation

Let our compassionate dental team look after you with anxiety management and dental sedation.

Dental Phobia Management in Wooloowin, QLD

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Dental Sedation in Wooloowin

Do you feel anxious when visiting the dentist? Does your upcoming dental check-up keep you up at night?

Rest assured, you are not alone. Many people feel stressed and nervous about getting dental treatment. Sometimes this is due to a bad experience in the past, or perhaps the whole experience just leaves you feeling uneasy.

The members of our dental team are well-attuned to these issues and will support you throughout your treatment. Our dentists, hygienists and dental assistants look after people every day who are struggling with anxiety, and we will take the necessary time to ensure you're at ease in our North Brisbane dental clinic.

We have blankets, neck pillows, TVs, your choice of music and most importantly, a team of caring clinicians to look after your every need.

If you're still anxious, we have some more tricks to help you cope with your dental treatment.

Sedation Dentistry in Wooloowin

If appropriate, your dentist may prescribe a pre-operative medication to help decrease anxiety. These tablets are taken approximately an hour before your dental visit. While you remain fully conscious during your appointment, the medication can help reduce stress and worry. After taking this medication, you cannot drive a car until it has worn off. Therefore, it's vital to have transportation to and from our dental office.

Nitrous Oxide for Dental Anxiety

Our clinic is equipped with nitrous oxide, otherwise known as happy gas. This gas is a helpful adjunct to standard dental treatment for patients of all ages. The effects of this gas vary depending on the individual. Some people feel elated and sometimes get the giggles. Others feel sedated and tired, with a sense of well-being. The beauty of this anti-anxiety measure is it wears off quickly. If you have treatment with the aid of nitrous oxide, you can drive yourself home from our dental clinic and go about your day without having to wait for medication to wear off.

Before considering any of the above options, we recommend you chat with your Brisbane dentist to determine which sedation type best suits you and your needs.

Frequently Asked Questions

My child has autism. Can they come to you for a checkup or treatment?

Absolutely, definitely, yes. We understand that visiting the dentist can be a challenging experience for both you and your child, and our goal is to make this process as comfortable and stress-free as possible.

Our team has extensive experience looking after children with autism, anxiety, sensory sensitivity and all combinations of similar challenges. We are well equipped to provide a supportive and accommodating environment for everyone, regardless of their abilities or difficulties.

We would love to see you at our clinic for a consultation, where we can discuss your child's needs and preferences in detail. Please feel free to reach out to us at 3632 8100, or info@northbrisbanedental.com.au. Alternatively, you could book online to see one of our dentists by using this link.

My child is scared of the dentist. What should I do?

If your little one is scared of the dentist, then you’ve come to the right place. We love looking after the whole family, and have never met a kid we couldn’t win over. The key to getting your child to trust the dentist is for us to build that trust with them. Usually when kids are scared of going to the dentist, it’s because they don’t know what’s going to happen, OR, in the past a doctor or dentist has hurt or scared them in some way. It’s up to us to prove to them that we’re not going to hurt them or do anything that scares them. We have a few tricks up our sleeve when it comes to building trust with anxious kids. Firstly, we don’t rush anything. Mum, Dad, Grandma, whoever you like, comes in with them. We give them time to explore the room, talk to us, ask questions, before they get in the dental chair. If they don’t want to sit in the chair straight away, they can sit on a parent’s lap for as long as they need to. The most important thing is for your child to realise they’re in control. They get to choose what flavour toothpaste they have, they can choose what we put on the tv. If they’re worried our toothpaste will taste strange, they can bring their own from home. If they’re super nervous and don’t want their teeth cleaned, we often just do a checkup at the first visit, and plan to clean their teeth in the future. They need to know that if it’s not ok with them, we won’t do it. The other thing our little patients really love, is that they get a goodie bag with their name on it every time they come in. They can choose a sparkly toothbrush, sticker and toy to go in their bag.

If your child has any specific triggers for anxiety, then letting us know will really help us to put them at ease. For example, some kids hate loud noises, so we can usually do our thing without using the suction to make things easier for them. If you’d like to find out more, or book your child in to see one of our dentists, please visit our website.

I have dental anxiety. What should I do?

If you have dental anxiety, the first thing you should do is realise you are not alone. Not by a long shot. We come across this every single day. Some people are nervous because of a bad experience they’ve had in the past, while a lot of people can’t quite explain why they’re so anxious at the dentist, but they just are. Either way, we’re here to help.

If you’re nervous, we usually spend our first visit just chatting. We have a look at your teeth, work out what, if anything, needs doing, and then discuss how we’re going to do it together. There are a few tips we can give you to help make your dental visit more relaxing.

Bring in headphones to block out the noises and listen to some of your favourite music while we work.

Bring a friend or other support person. Visitors are always welcome in our treatment rooms, and sometimes it helps having someone you trust in the room to hold your hand.

We offer nitrous oxide for our treatments, which is a fast acting anti-anxiety gas. You breath it in through your nose while we work, and while you remain fully conscious throughout, it helps you feel more relaxed and mellow. It also wears off within a few minutes, so you can drive afterwards.

Sometimes our dentist may prescribe an anti-anxiety medication for you to take prior to your treatment. This is something that needs to be discussed on a case by case basis.

The main thing to remember is, if you’re not comfortable with something, we just don’t do it. At any point throughout your treatment, raising your hand lets us know we need to stop. If you need a break, we give you one. If something hurts, we fix it so that it doesn’t. If you don’t like something, we try to do it another way. We listen to you and adapt our treatment approach based on your needs.

If you’d like to find out more, or book in to meet with one of our lovely dentists, then call us on 36328100 or visit our website to book online. We hope to meet you soon.

Meet Our Dentists:

Dr Georgia Sheahan BDSc, AMusA
Dentist

A dedicated mother, an accomplished pianist, and an even better dentist, Georgia has been endowed with the two most important gifts a dentist can have; an ability to put people ...

Dr Kirstie Malley BDS, Dip.MJDF(RCS Eng), MCGDent
Dentist

Dr Kirstie joins us from a not so sunny Scotland! When not highland dancing in her kilt, her passion is to create beautiful, natural smiles. Devoted to developing great relationships ...

Dr Seerat Sawhney BDSc (Hons), Grad Dip Dig. Orth.
Dentist

While she was studying dentistry at UQ, Seerat was working for NBDC as a dental assistant and receptionist, so she was part of the family long before she even became ...