Dentistry has always been associated with pain and terrible experiences. It’s as if everyone’s dreading to walk inside a clinic, that it’ll just be gore and bloody when they walk out.
Let me set things straight for you. “NO. Seeing a dentist is far likely from a horror movie!”.
Dentistry in the new era.
I’ve been a practicing dentist for more than 15 years and time and time again I hear the same thing from patients, that they’re afraid of the dentist and that’s why they haven’t seen one in years. The reason why you are reading this is because I wanted to talk to you about that feeling of dreading the dentist. It’s way different. You can ask our other patients if they had an experience like that. And if you come in and have regular consultations, you’ll start to see how easy it is.
Dentistry has changed a lot over the years. Remember the focus of our practice is not the “drill and fill” method. We want you to learn how to avoid having problems like cavities, infections and painful treatments done in the first place. We always love to give you tips and tricks on the little things you can do to look after your teeth. The practice of dentistry nowadays is more about PREVENTION. And I’ve noticed it has somewhat become more cosmetically inclined.
Our practice, BrightSmile Avenue and Asian Square Dental, have found recently that patients are now coming in and saying things like ‘I want to have my teeth whitened’, ‘I want to have my teeth straightened’ rather than ‘pull my teeth out’.
What does the consultation entail?
Initial consultation happens on your first visit. There we will be able to ask your recent health condition, check completely your teeth and assess what needs to be done.
Sometimes we would require you to have xrays taken the first time we see you. This is part of the diagnostic procedure that we do in our practice. We’re really quite easy going and love to talk about your health in this process.
If there ever is pain involved, we try our best to give you the emergency treatment that you need. If there are early signs of problems with your teeth, we try usually catch them on an early stage so there’s no need to worry. And once we’ve caught them it’s usually really easily fixed rather than having to go down the old school way of pulling teeth out.
Most consultations are smooth sailing. We’ll take photos, x-rays and go through everything with you. We actually had our waiting room made over so it looks like a living room, designed to make you feel at ease.
You’ll come in, have a chat with our patient coordinator first. You’ll be given a coffee or tea and we’ll then sit down with you (so you’re not stuck in the dental chair all the time) and talk through what you want.
Our goal is to always focus on what you want. Whether you’ve come in to talk about your gums, your teeth, or just a general chat about your smile. We’ll then slowly go through and teach you the things we know and it’ll make it a lot easier and much more comfortable for you later on.
Then it’s time to meet with our team where we will show you before and after pictures of cases that we’ve already worked on to give you an idea what you to expect regarding any dental procedure. Simple as that. We even have relaxing music playing in the background during your treatment appointment. We’ll laugh and joke around as well. You’ll get to know us all by the end of your visit. But it’s a fun experience I tell you.
Concerns and other concerns
We often get asked ‘how much is it going to be’ or ‘what if I’m scared’.
Costs can be broken down during your visits. Dentistry doesn’t have to be expensive but it is a necessity. Payments can be broken down with monthly options. In our clinic alone, we have several options that can push the cost down.
Our aim is to make you feel as relaxed as possible. Once you’ve sat and had coffee with us you’ll realize that we’re just normal human beings.
How is dentistry different nowadays?
The new age of dentistry is pain free. We use the latest technologies when it comes to dental care. We take our time to let everything settle in, making your visit a simple and pain-free process.
The way dentistry is set up now is to remove the stigma and fear attached to it, so your oral health doesn’t have to suffer because you’re afraid to come in and see us.
Can I afford it?
Of course you can! Everyone worries about the cost of dentistry and sometimes I hear patients say ‘that’s too expensive I can’t afford that’. But the basic treatments aren’t expensive. Your general check-ups are designed to prevent larger issues forming and keep you from shelling out for the expensive treatments.
If you do happen to need it for your treatment then you’ll be presented with plenty of options, there are two or three different payment options for each treatment, I have patients on 0% finance and some that pay monthly installments so it would be easy for your pocket.
https://www.brightsmileavenue.com/blog/how-can-you-convince-your-friend-to-go-to-the-dentist/