Overcoming Dental Phobia in Pella, Iowa

If you want to maintain healthy teeth and gums, you must see your dentist every six months for a dental cleaning and checkup. Many people feel slightly uncomfortable about dental appointments but understand that preventive care is the best way to avoid a far more uncomfortable visit down the road. For people with a dental phobia, the logic behind preventive care means very little.
Dental phobia is characterized by an extreme fear of dental care, and those afflicted with this anxiety condition will often seek help from a dentist only after they reach a point of unbearable pain. Waiting until you must undergo extensive dental treatment actually reinforces the phobia, making you even more fearful of the dentist. Dr. Allen can help you break this vicious cycle of avoidance and invasive treatment, once and for all, with gentle dentistry, precision diagnostics, and nitrous oxide (laughing gas).

Comfort in the Dentist’s Office

Some of the comforts you’ll find in Dr. Allen’s Pella dental office include:

• A friendly atmosphere, where questions are encouraged and answers thorough
• Oraqix, a topical anesthetic than can be used instead of a local anesthetic injection for certain procedures
• Digital X-rays, which require 80-90% less radiation than traditional X-rays, improving patient safety

Comfortable Dentistry

Aside from his friendly, compassionate chairside manner, Dr. Allen’s most effective tool for reducing your dental anxiety is nitrous oxide. Commonly known as laughing gas, this gentle aid relaxes nervous patients, helping them feel comfortable and calm in the dental chair. The gas is inhaled through a small mask placed over the nose, and the effects are felt within minutes. Patients who have used this method of sedation dentistry describe experiencing a slightly numb, happy feeling. Unlike other forms of sedation, with nitrous oxide, the effects subside immediately when we stop administering the gas. You can drive yourself home or continue your workday following your dental appointment.
An Invitation for Your Family
Dr. Jeffrey Allen provides comfortable dental care – and offers nitrous oxide – to patients of all ages. Call (641) 628-1121 today to schedule a checkup and cleaning, cosmetic consultation, or second-opinion visit. Our dental office is located on the west side of the historic town square in Pella. IA. Please see the map for directions.