Dental Implants and Nervous Patients

Are dental implants a ‘no go’ area for anxious dental patients?

It is generally acknowledged that around one in four people suffer, to some degree, from anxiety when a visit to the dentist is imminent. For some of these people, the anxiety level can be very high indeed.

With a little help though, most patients will go through with their treatment, especially the more common routine procedures, such as fillings, that they may have experienced before.

Fear of the unknown

Whilst most patients are reasonably familiar with the more common procedures, and what they involve, fewer seem to be so when it comes to dental implants. For nervous patients especially, this can play a major part in their reluctance to have dental implants placed. Exaggerated fears of the unknown play a major part in many phobias, and in most cases, more so than the reality of it. This seems to be the case with dental phobias too.

With this in mind, our Smile Dental team in Bromley discuss a common concern about dental implants.

Will it hurt?

This is by far the most common question that we are asked about dental implants, and it is important to be truthful so that people can face their fears about the procedure. It can’t be denied that the placing of dental implants is an invasive procedure and can’t be done in five minutes. Having said that, the discomfort factor of the procedure has often been exaggerated.

Patients of the the Smile Dental Practice can be assured that we will do all that we can to make the procedure as comfortable as possible for you during your treatment. For anyone very anxious about the procedure, we are also able to offer conscious sedation to enable you to relax throughout it. You will be given a local anaesthetic, before the procedure commences, that will help to minimise any discomfort that might be felt throughout the procedure.

Perhaps the part of the procedure that people fear the most is the creating of holes in the jawbone where the implants are placed.

Whilst this might appear to be like something out of a horror movie, people may be surprised to know that the level of discomfort felt is often much less than is expected. Whilst some patients may be more susceptible to pain than others, any discomfort should be greatly reduced by the anaesthetic, and as the bone itself contains relatively few nerves it is not as susceptible to pain as many people imagine it to be.

For some patients, some discomfort may come in the few days following the procedure. Naturally, there may be some bruising and swelling in the area of the implant placement but this will soon subside and can usually be managed with regular painkillers.

We hope that this short blog post helps, at least, to assuage some of the fears of nervous patients who might otherwise choose not to have dental implants placed.

We are always happy to discuss with our Bromley patients, whether nervous or not, any aspect of the implant procedure with you, and we can be reached by phone on 020 8462 2473.