Dr Aakash Mavani from The Happy Smile Company talks about his search to find a way to take the fear out of the dental injection and combat his patient’s ‘hot’ teeth!
Whilst widely believed to be a fictional term that originated on Wikipedia rather than something deep-rooted in medical science, trypanophobia has found its way into the English language as another name for needle phobia.
Aichmophobia (another dubious term for a morbid fear of sharp or pointed objects); trypanophobia; needle phobia – call it what you will – this is something that is all too familiar to clinicians. Few patients relish the idea of having an injection into any part of their mouth, let alone intraligamental injections in multiple regions. Administering anaesthesia is one of the main hurdles that clinicians face daily; and is particularly challenging when treating anxious or needle-phobic patients.
Needle phobia may not seem a serious problem to some, but it can have far-reaching consequences. Those affected have usually avoided visiting a dentist for years and are putting up with toothache, gum disease and other serious oral health problems as a result. They may fear the pain of the injection or that the injection will cause a bodily injury. Some fear an injection may pass on disease or are worried about the anaesthetic causing them serious side effects.
These fears and anxieties, amongst many others, was one of the reasons why in August 2016 my dream to set up practice and help manage the care of patients with anxiety and dental phobias became a reality. In establishing The Happy Smile Company, I have been able to successfully build a dental practice that offers patients everything they need for a healthy lifestyle and happy mindset.
Patient-friendly injections – do they exist?
Opening a new practice is very demanding, but also very exciting, plus it’s the ideal opportunity to find the equipment best suited to the core treatments you want to provide. Working with dental phobic patients means providing them with a calm and relaxing environment. In our practice we even have a team of in-house therapists who provide simple massages, hypnotherapy and counselling to help to ease their fears.
When it comes to treating the most nervous and dental phobic patients, by far the most common reason for their fear is that they have had a bad experience with dental injections and their perception of pain and discomfort is adding to the problem. This put my search for a method of administering anaesthesia, in a comfortable and controlled way and without painful injections, top of my priority list for my new practice.
Taking the anxiety away from an injection is key, so I wanted to find a system that was easy to use, and importantly, looked nothing like a dental needle that could further upset an already nervous patient. I was aware of an increasing choice of computer-assisted motorised injection systems, however, they all seemed rather complicated, featuring tubes, wires and even beeping sounds which I did not feel was very conducive for calming my anxious patients. There had to be a better option!
Combatting those ‘hot’ and ‘angry’ teeth
After extensive research, it soon became clear that the Calaject computer-assisted motorised injection system was most ideal for all types of injections including Intraligamental + PDL (PerioDontal Ligament), infiltrations, palatal and regional nerve blocks. This approach works wonders for patients with ‘hot teeth’ – my personal term for those in a lot of pain with an ‘angry’ tooth. I would not describe a motorised injection system as delivering ‘pain-free’ injections (nothing is truly pain-free) but instead I refer to it as ‘comfortable’ injections, making even the most nervous patients relaxed and at ease.
I have found the system to be ideally suited to my practice needs – it’s small, compact and very easy to use. I believe in keeping things simple, especially in a dental surgery – the less there is to go wrong the better. The cost of consumables was another consideration when choosing my preferred system. Ideally, I wanted to carry on using my normal LA cartridges and syringes without having the inconvenience of having to source and buy more expensive dedicated versions. With Calaject there is no need to buy additional special consumables as the system works with standard needles and cartridges, helping to save time and money.
From the patient’s perspective, the slow, steady and gentle flow of anaesthesia takes the discomfort out of injections enabling you to start treatment straight away. Because the method of delivery is so accurate I find I’m using a lot less anaesthetic, just half a standard cartridge and the patient is already numb.
Patient appreciation
Comfortable injections are a great practice builder and I’m starting to welcome new patients who have been recommended by others on the strength of their experience of our injection techniques. Word-of-mouth is a wonderful thing as they talk to friends and family about their experiences and even post about it on social media.
Starting up a squat practice is extremely hard work, and whilst it may not always seem like it after a tiring day, in the long run I know it will be immensely rewarding. Patients really appreciate that extra level of care and taking away the fear of the dental injection improves the number of accepted treatment plans, which in turn leads to overall practice growth.
For more information about how you can improve your practice and your patients’ health and wellbeing with CALAJECT visit www.calaject.co.uk and read the articles at www.livelife.dental or contact Evident on Freephone 0808 1000 888
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Dr Aakash Mavani
Dr Aakash Mavani is founder and general dentist at The Happy Smile Company
Following 11 years as a reputable dentist, Aakash has invaluable knowledge in all aspects of the dental industry and many years of practice in providing a professional, yet friendly and reassuring service to his patients.
Aakash has vital experience in orthodontics, aesthetic dentistry and helping to manage the care of patients with dental phobias. He puts his patients’ happiness at the forefront of his work and has carried that ethos through to create The Happy Smile Company.
