Does everyone fear going to the dentist?

What percent of patients do you see have anxiety or fear going to the dentist?

I would say 70-80% of my patients have had or do have some fear of the dentist. It usually stems from a bad experience or not understanding what is going on. By simply educating the patient, much fear is eliminated when the patient knows exactly what the problem is, how to fix it, and what it takes to fix it. I take pride in most of the services I offer but the one I take the most pride in is the one you don't see listed--helping you CONQUER your fear of dentistry. I am confident I can help you not only conquer your anxiety but help you establish a routine of regular dental care that prevents you from needing frequent amounts of dental work and be proud of your oral health and smile!

Do dentists always have to use drills/needles for dental work?

Are there ways to do dentistry with out the pain or a needle or sound of a drill?

Yes there are, but they are somewhat limited in what they can treat. For example, to not need a needle for treatment either the cavity has to be very small or the dentist uses something called “Air Abrasion” or “Laser Dentistry”. These are technologies that enable the dentist to fix cavities without using a needle or drill however they are not as effective when the cavities are deep (close to the nerve) or the tooth is sensitive.
I think an injection is much better for pain control and is better for eliminating the “what if I feel this”. An injection can almost be next to painless and the discomfort can be controlled by

1. The strength of the topical gel
2. The manner the injection is given by the dentist.

We have a special device we use sometimes called “The Magic Wand” that is very effective for getting patients numb and most patients report not feeling anything!!

I have a very simple rule…if I can't get you numb, I will not work on you that day…sometimes people just don't numb up well and it's hard to explain why but rest assured that if you are uncomfortable then I am too so I will not make you do anything that is uncomfortable. We generally have great success in getting you more than adequately numb which gives you a very comfortable, pleasant experience. Nitrous oxide(laughing gas) will often help drown out some of the sounds of the drill and also with analgesia(pain relief) during the procedure.

Regarding the sounds of the drill, we always play music while we are working..I don't like the sounds any better than my patients do? I love music from the 80s and 90s so there is always music in the background or we will play whatever music you like. We also play movies if you prefer to listen to a movie and if that's not enough…I might even sing or dance for you!