Almost all of us have had second thoughts about visiting the dentist. The thought of drills and tools going inside our mouths give us goosebumps. Yet what can you do when a toothache starts and you try your best to fool yourself into thinking it will go away?
Any false reassurance to stray away from that chair at the dentist office doesn’t actually numb the irritation. Dentists have come to our rescue with the introduction of gentle family dentistry.
Gentle dentistry, whilst seeming like a technical term, is just what the name suggests. It is dentists helping their patients to overcome their phobias of the dental chair by incorporating these four aspects:
- Dental skillset
- New technologies in the medical arena
- Advanced pain-free techniques
- Assurance of overall customer satisfaction
The aim is to provide gentle family dentistry to ensure that your family’s and your dental hygiene is never compromised. The aim is also to guarantee that you get the highest form of care from the first step (when you make a call to book an appointment) to the last minute of you leaving your dentist’s office.
A PMC article suggests that just in the United States, almost 36% of the population suffers from dental anxiety. Another 12% are at the high end of the dental fear scale thus avoiding the dentist at all costs, compromising on their dental hygiene.
One might wonder what the solution to this is and the solution thus becomes the introduction of gentle dentistry and gentle family dentistry. To understand this better we will have to break it down further and see the benefits involved in this new process.
Benefits of Gentle Dentistry
There are numerous benefits attached with gentle dentistry and that is the reason that more and more dental practices around the world are now using gentle dentistry as one of their main sales pitches.
1. No More Phobia
As mentioned before, a major chunk of the population suffers from some kind of dental phobia and therefore the inculcation of gentle dentistry allows for the patient to be put at ease before, during, and after the dental procedure. Overcoming past experiences of the dentist chair with this new form of gentle dentistry thus becomes a major benefit. Just the name of gentle dentistry automatically gives one a sense of ease and comfort that what is to come will be a thorough yet gentle procedure, therefore, easing you out of your phobia.
2. No-Pain Dentistry
One of the major reasons for a dental phobia comes from needles and the unpleasant sounds of the drills. This is another aspect that gentle dentistry is taking care of.
This fear is being tackled by introductions of better methods of sedation and numbing gels. With steps like these, the major fear of going to the dentist is done away with and dental comfort is introduced.
Your dentist will choose the amount and the type of sedation you would prefer for your dental procedure. These range from mild sedation to being completely sedated.
3. No Unwanted Surprises
Another major benefit of gentle dentistry is the no surprise aspect that it entails. Under this concept, the idea is simply to make the patient completely aware of what awaits him or her in the dental chair.
Usually, the team at the dentist’s office will make an entire plan about which procedure and treatment are ideal and have a short meeting with you to make sure that you don’t get any unwanted surprises moving forward.
4. Dental Insurance Ease
As gentle dentistry is all about ease for the patients, the dentist’s office will go above and beyond before and after your procedure.
There is an added benefit for patients that have dental insurance as gentle family dentistry promises ease. If you have your dental procedures covered by dental insurance, the dentist’s office will provide you with an out-of-pocket cost approximation by getting an estimate from your insurance provider before you come for an appointment.
Otherwise, they would, on their own, provide you with an estimate keeping in mind their usual dealings with insurance companies. This is to make sure that you are aware of all costs coming your way.
5. A Friendly Atmosphere
Coming to the dentist’s office with your nerves testing the best of you already, the last thing you would wish to encounter would be an unfriendly atmosphere.
From staff to the actual dentist office setting, gentle dentistry ensures that you are in comfort throughout your visit. Gentle dentistry practices tend to be familiar with all their patients so that when you walk into that clinic they can greet you properly and make you feel familiar.
They will further listen to and answer your questions with comfort and detail and should work around your schedule to ensure they finish the process in the time mentioned beforehand.
What Does Minimally Invasive Dentistry Mean?
To put it simply, dentistry has taken a new turn that can be called a blend of art and science with the introduction of gentle caring dentistry. One approach that falls under this umbrella is minimally invasive dentistry. What is it? Simply put, the concept revolves around using high-quality restorative products and materials with the prime focus to preserve teeth that aren’t in the best of condition.
To break it down further, the medical profession is of the view that in most cases, an artificial replacement of tissues can’t compare with the biological value of an original tissue that’s healthy. Hence, the concept revolves around preserving as much original tissue as possible with minimal invasion.
Take Away
Gentle dentistry is a revolutionary concept to ensure that the oral hygiene of the masses is not undermined just because of dental phobias. From minimally invasive procedures to basic customer service, gentle dentistry is present to tackle every possible fear that one might have with dentists.
