Dentist for nervous patients
in London

We recognise and appreciate that dental phobia or a fear of the dentist is a very common anxiety which many of our patients experience. The Wimpole Street Dental Clinic takes pride in being the ideal clinic for nervous patients as we can help you to feel comfortable and calm during our dental treatments. With the experience of more than 1,200 operations in sedation among our dentists you will be in safe hands.

Written by: Prof Dr Christian Mehl

A certified implantologist and prosthodontics specialist with 20+ years in dentistry, I conduct clinical research, teach at University of Kiel, and contribute to implant system development. Recipient of the Camlog Research Award, I frequently publish and deliver global lectures.

Clinically reviewed by: Dr Raul Costa

Content:

How to calm nervous patients
Our specialist sedationists
Different types of dental sedation
Definition of conscious sedation
Duration of sedation
Recovery and side effects of sedation
FAQ’s

How do you calm nervous patients?

For some, dental care seems unattainable due to the fear and anxiety caused by challenging past dental experiences and the complexities and duration of certain dental procedures.

If you feel scared, nervous or uncomfortable when you get to the dentist’s practice, you’re not alone. Rest assured that there are ways to calm your nerves, especially if you are scared of the dentist but still need and agree to treatment.

At Wimpole Street Dental Clinic we care that you feel comfortable and confident during your visit with us. We can offer conscious sedation to provide the relief needed to undergo an oral health visit and so overcome dental phobia clearing the way to achieve clinical success. You’ll never need to feel nervous visiting the dentist again.

VIRTUAL TOUR OUR CLINIC BEFORE YOUR APPOINTMENT

Our specialist sedationists

Dr Andre du Plessis

Sedationist

Dr Etienne Deysel

Sedationist

What are the different types of dental sedation?

We can help relieve your fear and anxiety when you sit in our dental chair. Today, there are three different levels of dental sedation recognised in the U.K. which can help. They include:

Minimal sedation (or Anxiolysis): This is often referred to as changing your mood. With this sedative, you feel calm, are responsive to verbal commands and unconcerned about the dental treatment.
Moderate sedation or conscious sedation: This is where you’re more deeply sedated, become drowsy and sleepy (and may even sleep intermittently), are responsive to verbal commands, and feel calm. You will not remember anything about the treatment.
Deep sedation/General anaesthesia: At this level of sedation, you may become unconscious. This level of sedation is not allowed in the U.K. for sedation outside the operating room in hospitals and is not allowed in dental surgeries .

At Wimpole Street Dental Clinic, we understand your concerns and we take them very seriously. Understanding how conscious sedation works can help you feel more at ease before committing to a treatment.

Conscious sedation is designed to make you feel comfortable, relaxed and safe during dental treatment. Administration of sedatives results in becoming drowsy, sleepy and pain-free. While you are in an optimal state of relaxation, you are not completely unconscious at any point during the treatment, which means you can communicate with your dentist at this time.

Conscious sedation is achieved with intravenous agents such as benzodiazepines, opiates, other sedative/anaesthetic medications, usually administered into a vein, or by inhalation sedation agents such as nitrous oxide.

A sedationist is present to watch your vital signs and ensure your safety throughout the procedure, so you can trust that the necessary precautions are taking place during your visit with us.

Have no fear. The effects of the sedative will gradually wear off during the course of the day, but the length of your sedation will depend upon your procedure. A recovery period of 20 to 30 minutes must be respected before you are discharged whilst you’re within our care. Within 24 hours, most patients consider themselves well enough to return to their normal activity.

What do recovery and side effects of sedation look like?

Don’t worry. Unlike general anaesthesia, conscious sedation comes with a quick recovery time.

Side effects are mild and rare as well. The most common include:

Nausea and vomiting

Headache

Muscle pain

Sore throat

In fact, many patients recall experiencing very few side effects at all and feel very satisfied with the conscious sedation experience. If you are worried about any potential side effects of sedation, or perhaps you’re just a nervous patient, please feel free to express your concerns to your dentist who will be able to put your mind to ease.

FAQ’s

As with any anaesthetic medication, your suitability to undergo conscious sedation is determined by your age, health, need, and the procedure that is due to be performed.

From a medical perspective, if you are an adult who is healthy or has controlled medical conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes or asthma, you qualify for sedation. If you have significant or uncontrolled medical conditions, such as severe heart disease or morbid obesity, you need to be assessed to your suitability for sedation.

Conscious sedation dentistry is widely available for treatments at Wimpole Street Dental Clinic.

It’s a viable option for you to consider in instances such as:

Routine dentistry investigations, like biopsies or endoscopies
When you’re feeling very anxious and need assistance overcoming your fear and anxiety
When you’ve had a previous traumatic experience
Uncomfortable procedures
More invasive, complex and prolonged procedures
For specific treatments which may not be particularly painful, but require patients to be very still during the surgery

We would like to put you at ease from the moment you schedule your appointment with us until you leave our dental practice after the treatment.

You will receive pre- and post operation instructions during the initial consultation before the procedure. Generally, dentists recommend the following guidelines to prepare for conscious sedation:

No solid food for six hours prior to the procedure
All patients may have clear liquids until two hours before the procedure

If you are diabetic and follow strict dietary guidelines and eating schedules, talk to your dentist about this during the consultation.

Conscious sedation should always be evaluated with respect to other available options, such as local anaesthesia and/or regional anaesthesia, local anaesthesia with behavioural management techniques and general anaesthesia.

There is no pressure whatsoever during a consultation. You will always be involved in the decision-making after receiving an explanation of the available options. Remember: our top priority is to provide a service of excellence while making you feel comfortable. We take a modern dental approach to dental phobia, ensuring you feel calm in our relaxed environment and endure no pain at all throughout the treatment process.

Our specialist sedationists charge £350 per hour. That includes all the sedative drugs and any other medication you might need.

Basically any treatment can be done under sedation. From simple dental care procedures like a professional dental hygiene, to cosmetic dentistry, to dental implants or bone augmentation procedures or even orthodontics can be done using the experience of an sedationist. Sedation dentistry can help to restore your teeth within a few visits.

The precondition for a successful sedation dentistry treatment is to have a clear plan. An initial check-up in our dental office and the determination of a precise treatment plan are mandatory prior to sedation as we can’t change the agreed treatment whilst you asleep. If the medical and financial aspects of your treatment have been agreed you will come in for the sedation dentistry. By then the sedationist will have concluded that you are suitable for sedation and will just explain the procedure again. Then the sedationist with inject the sedative drugs intravenously. Once you are calm and safe, the dentist will inject the local anaesthetic very carefully to ensure a pain-free dental procedure. With nervous dental patients we will always make sure the local anaesthetic works before we start the dental work. After the dental procedures are finished, the sedationist will reduce the amounts of drugs and wake you up very carefully. You will need around 10-15 minutes to be OK again. You can leave the premises accompanied.

Are you ready to gain the confidence to get over your dental phobia?

There’s no reason to avoid the dentist. Come see the award-winning professionals at Wimpole Street Dental Clinic to help you ease your fear and anxiety over the dentist and walk away with an award-winning smile. Book an appointment today to restore your teeth and say goodbye to dental phobia for good.

Book ONLINE call us 020 3745 7455

Our expert team continually update and research the latest news and techniques in dentistry, as such we regularly update our pages and have these clinically reviewed.

Current Version

July 21st 2023

Added “when did we last update this page” and author biography to the page.

Written by: Prof Dr Christian Mehl

Medically reviewed by: Dr Raul Costa

Previous Versions

October 2nd 2022

Page redesigned and updated to reflect change in address.

Written by: Prof Dr Christian Mehl

Medically reviewed by: Dr Raul Costa

30th August 2021

Original content created.

Written by: Prof Dr Christian Mehl

Medically reviewed by: Dr Raul Costa

Wimpole St Dental Clinic has strict sourcing guidelines and relies on peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical associations. We avoid using tertiary references. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy.

Markus Reif

I put off the visit to the dentist for a long time, although I knew I had some issues – I was just afraid to go to a dentist because I had bad experiences with my previous dentist. Then I searched for a good dentist in London and found what I was looking for! I am very grateful for having found Dr. Mehl as he was a very competent, professional and very friendly doctor – I was treated by him from March-June 2019 and I am very happy with the results. THANK YOU for the top care!

Best treatments for your dental health at Dental Clinic London

M Kuerten

The Clinic is very professionally run by a good group of people, that almost make going to the dentist a fun day out. Prof Mehl is my dentist and I have many upcoming appointments with him to sort out the issues that have arised due to my childhood fear of dentists. So far I have been amazed at his skill and abilities – especially in providing injections that are almost painless. I have a ways to go in my treatments and will update going forward.