Dental anxiety is something too many people deal with. Millions of Americans every year suffer through oral pain because they’re too afraid to visit the dentist. We understand if you have a fear of visiting a Billings, MT dentist, and we’re committed to helping you feel comfortable when you’re at Yellowstone Family Dental.
Dr. Matthew Larsen on Dental Anxiety
Read Transcript
Having people be comfortable in the dental office is a big deal and it's something that we spent a lot of time focused on and we do a lot of training. Even just us, as doctors, and our staff, we do a lot of extra training. And one of the things that we do to really make patients comfortable is we've found that a lot of people are afraid of needles and that's their big fear is they're coming in, they're gonna get a shot.
So, we have developed a technique through the use of some topical anesthetic before, and then we have an anesthetic warmer, so we warm the anesthetic up so it's body temperature so you don't get that shock to your system. We use a neutral anesthetic that we give people first where most people can hardly even feel the injection. And that's been one of the biggest practice builders we've found is that we get people in all the time that just say, "Was that a shot? Did you just give me a shot?"
We do have patients that have higher levels of anxiety and no matter how much we try to make everything completely painless and easy for them, they're still—they’re dealing with that anxiety. And for those patients, we offer (inaudible), which, laughing gas, and we offer that to all of our patients. It's plumbed into all of our operatories so if we have any patients that are nervous, even if they come in for an emergency and they're not in the same operatory they're usually in, there's (inaudible) always available for them just to help them relax and to help take the edge off.
If we need to go into others, we have some oral sedation options. We have some chill pills that people can take just to mildly sedate them. They do have to have a driver if we do that. And if we need to go beyond that, then we can offer IV sedation and allow people to just check out during their dentistry. So, I think we have a really good mix of options for patients who are anxious and we have the ability to pretty much control any level of anxiety.
Our combination of friendly staff and dentists, warm relationships with patients, and accommodations are designed to give you the best experience possible. Call us at 406-245-7026 to schedule your appointment.
Put An End To Your Anxiety With Our Comforting Office
Regardless of why you feel nervous about visiting the dentist, we’re ready to help you calm your nerves. Our office is designed to minimize anxiety:
- Each operatory is entirely private. You will not hear the sounds of the office outside the room where you are receiving treatment.
- We offer a wide variety of comfort options to help you feel cozy and relaxed, including a complimentary beverage station.
- Our office is equipped with the latest equipment, which means your experience will be minimally invasive, virtually pain-free, and whisper-quiet.
- Each operatory has a TV with Netflix so you can enjoy an entertaining distraction from your procedure.
Our dental experts are sure to give you an experience that will leave you smiling, and our patient-focused philosophy means that our staff is here to make sure you feel safe and calm.
If needed, you can choose from our three sedation options to help you relax and have a good experience in our office. Some patients are simply afraid of the numbing injection and choose light sedation (free of charge) so that they can receive no-stress numbing. But if your fear is more severe, you can request stronger dental anxiety treatment options like oral or IV sedation. These methods will put you in a deep state of relaxation and ensure you don’t have any memories of your appointment.
Because we work to replace your bad memories or worries with good experiences, over time you may find that your anxiety is diminished or eliminated. You may even start looking forward to your appointments!
See how Yellowstone Family Dental can relieve your dental anxiety. Call us today at 406-245-7026.