Nitrous oxide
Inhaled through a small nose mask and adjusted minute by minute. You stay awake and talking, it lifts within about five minutes of coming off, and you can drive yourself home.
Guide five of seven
Order from the comfort menu.
Dental anxiety is ordinary and we would rather you asked for things by name than tried to sit through them. Everything below is available, most of it is free, and none of it needs explaining.
Everything you can ask for.
Say any of these at the desk, on the phone or in the chair. Nobody will ask you to justify it, and asking for all of them at once is fine.
Before you arrive
- A visit with no treatment
- Come in, see the room, meet whoever will be looking after you, and leave. Nothing is done and nothing is charged.
- The first appointment of the day
- Less waiting, less anticipation, and a quieter studio. Say so when you book and we hold one.
- Longer than we need
- We book extra time so nothing is rushed and so stopping partway costs nobody anything.
- The plan in writing, first
- What will happen, in what order, and what it costs, emailed before the visit rather than explained while you are lying down.
- Bring someone
- A companion can stay in the room for the whole appointment. Children are welcome in the waiting area with an adult.
In the chair
- A stop signal we agree on
- Raise your left hand and everything stops, immediately, without you needing to explain. We test it before we start.
- Headphones and your own screen
- Noise-cancelling headphones, your playlist or a film, and a ceiling screen. The drill is quieter than it sounds through music.
- A weighted blanket and a neck pillow
- Weight across the chest settles a racing pulse for a lot of people. Ask at any point, not just at the start.
- Numbing before the numbing
- Topical anesthetic gel for several minutes first, then local anesthetic delivered slowly and warmed, which is what makes injections sting.
- Silence, or commentary
- Tell us which you prefer. Some people want every step narrated, others want nothing said at all, and both are easy.
- Nitrous oxide
- Inhaled sedation through a small nose mask. You stay awake and in conversation, it wears off within minutes, and you can drive home.
- Oral sedation
- A tablet taken before the appointment for longer or more daunting treatment. It needs planning, an escort home and no driving that day.
- Breaks whenever
- Sit up, rinse, stretch, reset. A ninety-minute appointment with three breaks is still a ninety-minute appointment.
Afterwards
- A call that evening
- After anything beyond a cleaning, someone from the team calls to check how you are, rather than waiting for you to worry.
- Written aftercare
- What to expect over the next two days, what is normal, and the number to call if it is not.
- Book the next one, or do not
- There is no pressure to schedule at the desk. Go home, think, and call when you are ready.
Name the specific part
It is rarely the whole appointment.
Most people who describe themselves as terrified of the dentist are actually frightened of one particular thing. Find yours, and the appointment can be built around it.
- The needle
- Topical gel first, a warmed and slowly delivered anesthetic, and the option not to see the syringe at any point.
- The sound
- Noise-cancelling headphones, and we can use hand instruments for some procedures where a drill is not essential.
- Gagging
- A shorter scanner tip instead of impressions, a more upright chair position, salt on the tongue and slower, smaller steps.
- Loss of control
- An agreed stop signal, a mirror if you want to watch, and a running plan you approve step by step.
- Being judged
- Nobody on this team comments on how long it has been. We start from where you are, which is the only useful place to start.
- Not knowing the cost
- A written estimate before treatment, with what insurance is likely to cover shown separately.
About sedation, plainly.
Two options, both keeping you conscious and able to respond. Neither is a general anesthetic, and neither is a substitute for good local anesthesia, which is what actually stops you feeling the treatment.
General information, not dental advice. Nothing here is a diagnosis or a treatment plan, and it cannot account for your own history, medications or examination findings. Please speak with a licensed dentist about your own care. Whether sedation is suitable for you depends on your medical history and current medications, and that conversation happens before anything is booked.
Oral sedation
A tablet taken before a longer or more daunting appointment. You remain conscious but drowsy, and most people remember little of it afterwards.
Start with a visit where nothing happens.
Come in, sit in the chair, meet the person who would be treating you and leave. It is a real appointment and it is free of charge.
Rated 4.9 by 612 patients. Most PPO plans welcome.