Treating a Patient’s Every Need
Dr. Marcello’s most common phobic patient is an adult between the ages of 40 and 60, who hasn’t been to the dentist in 10 to 15 years and therefore requires extensive dental work. He says some patients are so consumed by fear that it takes up to nine attempts to schedule a dental appointment. “I’ve seen 60-year-old men being pulled into the operatory by their spouses,” he said. “It’s an eye-opening experience.”
Every aspect of Royal Crest is geared toward patients with dental phobias. Patients don’t even have to pick up the phone to get information about Royal Crest – they can view the practice’s Web site for a wealth of information designed to conquer their fears. Dr. Marcello offers a free consultation for each patient, during which there are no instruments used or treatments performed. This appointment allows the patient to control those first scary steps to better oral health and discuss their dental concerns in a non-threatening environment.
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If a patient is too anxious to be awake during dental procedures, sedation is an excellent option to help them overcome their fears. At Royal Crest, any patient may elect to be sedated for any procedure, from a cleaning to a full-mouth restoration. Dr. Marcello’s goal for the new offices was to expand sedation options by incorporating not only IV sedation, but also general anesthesia.
With IV sedation, the patients are asleep but able to respond to stimulus and breathe on their own, yet are in a state of extreme relaxation. Patients under IV sedation don’t remember their procedures, making it perfect for complex cases and patients with anxiety or inability to control their body movements.
Local anesthesiologists, working with Dr. Marcello and associate Derek Tucker, DMD, administer general anesthesia. Patients under general anesthesia are completely unconscious, which allows Royal Crest to better manage and treat extreme or unique cases, medically compromised patients and even pediatric patients. Each office has two full operating rooms to accommodate general anesthesia cases.
Because Dr. Marcello understands that once phobic patients become familiar with their dentist, they prefer not to be referred outside for specialty care, he has spent nearly 600 hours in continuing education courses, training in the latest anesthesia methods, and perfecting his wide array of dental techniques. He can perform nearly any restorative or reconstructive procedure, including implants, root canals, cosmetic dentistry and much more. “If I really want to be the best dentist I can be, I need to be able to treat as many – or all – of my patients’ needs, because if they’re coming to me, they’re comfortable with me,” said Dr. Marcello. “So that’s why I do anything and everything except orthodontics.”
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