Going the extra miles to support anxious patients

Lucy braves the Yorkshire weather

This weekend, our dental surgeon Lucy Smith clocked up around 700 miles to support anxious patients. She travelled from Plymouth up to Harrogate and back, to attend a course held for dentists who wish to offer IV sedation.

Since she began working in SpaDental Plymouth last year, Lucy’s reputation has spread. New patients, are asking for her by name because of her special interest in patients who are nervous. Which is why she went all the way north to Harrogate.

Lucy explained how her patients will benefit:

Monitoring the vital signs of a patient

“I take extra time to talk to my patients. If I can understand the reason for their anxiety, I can tailor my care for them. Then I talk them slowly through the procedure, managing pain with local anaesthetic. This way is best for patients so I try this first.

But sometimes a patient can’t manage with only local anaesthetic. Then they need to see a dentist who trained to deliver IV sedation. But a referral can mean a long wait. During that time, a problem that’s quite simple can end up getting worse and needing more invasive treatment. For some patients conscious sedation is the only way.”

Lucy is taking on the extra study to support anxious patients who can be referred to her for conscious sedation.

The two days of theory that Lucy followed at the weekend were organised by Yorkshire Sedation Training.  The training group was set up to fill a need for furthering expertise in the area of dental sedation. Accredited by The Intercollegiate Advisory Committee for Sedation in Dentistry (IACSD), the list of topics covered is extensive, and the course was intensive. The next stage for Lucy is clinical practice with a mentor once a week. Fortunately that’s a little closer to home, in North Devon.

There was a little spare time for entertainment too:

Lucy’s dad went on the road trip with her too. They were able to go out on the town to enjoy some Yorkshire humour at the Royal Hall. And a visit to the iconic Betty’s Tea Rooms was a must!

• The Plymouth team

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