Dental anxiety

If it has been years, start here.

Dr. Lizzio has extensive experience treating adults with severe dental anxiety who have avoided regular care for years. It is one of the most common reasons people find this practice, and nobody here will make you feel foolish about it.

Comfort-focused care at Garden City Dental Group.

How the first visit works

01

Tell us when you book

One sentence on the phone changes the whole appointment. We allow more time and we plan it differently.

02

Nothing gets done to you

The first visit can be a conversation and a look, with no instruments and no treatment. Plenty of people need that first.

03

You set the pace

An agreed signal to stop, breaks whenever you want them, and no treatment that has not been explained and agreed.

What helps, in our experience

01

Knowing the plan

Most of the fear is of the unknown. Written plans, explained in advance, take a surprising amount of it away.

02

Sedation, if you want it

Nitrous oxide or oral sedation are both available for any appointment. How they work.

03

Morning appointments

Not spending the whole day dreading it makes a genuine difference. Ask for the first slot.

Said honestly

You are not the worst case we have seen

People arrive here having not sat in a dental chair for ten or fifteen years, often embarrassed about the state of their teeth. It is more common than you would think, and it is not what we are judging.

One thing worth knowing: it almost never looks as bad to us as it does to you. We are looking at what can be fixed and in what order, not keeping score.

The reception lounge at Garden City Dental Group.

Questions

Asked often.

I am embarrassed about my teeth.

Everyone who says that has said it to a dentist who has heard it many times that month. It changes nothing about how you will be treated here.

Can I just come and look at the place first?

Yes. Call and ask. You can see the rooms and meet the team without an appointment being made for anything.

Can I bring somebody with me?

Of course, into the room if you want them there.

What if I need to stop halfway?

Then we stop. We agree a hand signal before we start, and it is honoured every time. Being able to stop is most of what makes it bearable.

Related treatments

Next step

Come and meet us first.

The first appointment is an examination and a conversation. There is no obligation to book treatment at the end of it.