Dentist for Nervous & Anxious Patients in Mount Lawley
If the thought of the dentist makes your stomach turn, you are in very good company — and there is a way through that doesn't involve white knuckles.
You are not being difficult. You are being human
Somewhere between one in six and one in seven Australian adults avoids the dentist because of fear, and many more turn up feeling genuinely unwell about it. For some people it began with a painful experience as a child. For others it's the sounds, the loss of control, the gag reflex, or the quiet dread of being judged for how long it's been. Whatever brought you here, we want to say clearly: nobody at Dental On Railway will lecture you, sigh at your X-rays or rush you.
The single biggest thing we offer nervous patients is time with one dentist. Dr Simon Frame sees you at every appointment — the first conversation, the treatment, the review — so you never have to explain yourself twice or start again with someone new. Appointments are deliberately unhurried, we agree on a stop signal before we begin, and we explain what's about to happen only in as much detail as you actually want. Some patients want every step narrated; others would rather not know. Both are completely fine.
And when reassurance alone isn't enough, we have real clinical options. Dental On Railway offers Twilight IV sedation with a visiting anaesthetist — something relatively few practices in the Mount Lawley and inner-Perth area can provide — alongside Penthrox inhaled sedation and oral sedation. That means we can match the level of support to your level of anxiety, rather than asking you to cope with whatever happens to be available. Our heritage Railway Parade rooms are quiet and calm, with free parking directly across the road and ACROD accessible parking at the front door, so even arriving is one less thing to worry about.
What We Offer
Treatments & what to expect
Click any treatment to see the step-by-step process we'll take you through.
Twilight IV Sedation
Administered by a visiting specialist anaesthetist through a small IV line, twilight sedation takes you to a state of deep relaxation where you breathe on your own but remain only lightly aware. Most patients remember very little of the appointment. It's rarely available in general practices locally, and it allows us to complete treatment that would otherwise feel impossible.
Penthrox (Inhaled, Patient-Controlled)
The green whistle familiar from ambulances. You hold the inhaler yourself and breathe when you feel you need to — which puts the control firmly in your hands. It takes effect within minutes, wears off quickly once you stop, and you stay awake and able to talk to us throughout.
Oral Sedation
A prescribed tablet taken shortly before your appointment produces a deeper, longer-lasting calm than Penthrox. You'll be drowsy but awake and responsive, and many patients find the anticipation beforehand is eased as much as the appointment itself.
A No-Treatment First Visit
You are genuinely welcome to book a first appointment where nothing happens at all except a conversation. Sit in the consult room fully clothed and upright, meet Dr Frame, look at the treatment room, ask your questions and leave. Many of our most anxious patients started exactly here.
Stop Signals & Pacing
Before any treatment begins we agree on a hand signal that means stop — and we honour it immediately, every time. Regaining that sense of control is often what changes dental visits from unbearable to manageable.
Gentle Numbing Techniques
Needle fear is one of the most common reasons people avoid treatment. We use topical anaesthetic gel first, warm the anaesthetic solution, and deliver it slowly — and many patients tell us afterwards they didn't feel it go in at all.
Help for Strong Gag Reflexes
Digital intraoral scanning replaces trays of impression putty, which removes one of the biggest triggers. We also adjust positioning, timing and technique, and can add sedation if the reflex remains overwhelming.
Catching Up After Years Away
If it's been five, ten or twenty years, you will not be judged here. We can plan treatment in comfortable stages or, with Twilight IV sedation, address a great deal in a single appointment — whichever suits you better.
Common Questions
Frequently asked questions
No. We hear this every single week, and it is one of the most common things people apologise for at their first visit. Long gaps happen for all sorts of reasons — fear, cost, a bad experience, life simply getting in the way. Our job is to work out where things stand now and build a realistic plan forward, not to comment on the past. Most patients tell us the anticipation of being judged was far worse than the appointment itself.
Twilight IV sedation is administered by a visiting specialist anaesthetist directly into a vein, which allows the depth of sedation to be adjusted precisely throughout your appointment. You breathe on your own the whole time and remain only lightly aware, and most patients remember very little afterwards. It's the strongest option we offer short of a hospital general anaesthetic, and it's not something many general practices in the Mount Lawley area can provide. It's particularly suited to severe dental phobia, long treatment sessions, or catching up on years of avoided care in one visit.
Not with any of the three options we offer. With Penthrox and oral sedation you're awake, calm and able to talk with us. With Twilight IV sedation you're deeply relaxed and only lightly aware, breathing independently and able to respond if spoken to — but with little or no memory of the procedure. None of these are a general anaesthetic, which is administered in hospital.
Yes, when it follows a thorough medical review and is delivered by appropriately trained clinicians. Dr Frame reviews your health history, medications and allergies before recommending anything. For Twilight IV sedation, a specialist anaesthetist conducts their own assessment beforehand and monitors your breathing, heart rate, oxygen saturation and blood pressure continuously throughout treatment. If sedation isn't suitable for you, we will say so and find another way.
Sedation is charged in addition to the dental treatment itself, and the amount varies with the option chosen and the length of your appointment. Penthrox is the most affordable; oral sedation involves a prescription and consultation; Twilight IV sedation includes the visiting anaesthetist's separate fee, which is typically the largest component and is quoted by the anaesthetist directly. Sedation fees in Australia typically vary widely depending on appointment length. We'll give you a clear written breakdown at your sedation consultation before you commit to anything.
Please do. A partner, friend, parent or support person is welcome in the consult room, and for many patients it makes an enormous difference. If you're having oral or Twilight IV sedation, having a responsible adult with you is a requirement — they'll need to drive you home and ideally stay with you afterwards.
We stop. That's the whole point of agreeing a stop signal beforehand. You can sit up, take a break, have a glass of water, or end the appointment entirely and come back another day. Nothing continues once you signal, and nobody will be frustrated with you. Knowing you can stop at any moment is often enough to mean you don't need to.
Let's start with a conversation, not a chair
Book a no-obligation chat with Dr Frame at our quiet Railway Parade rooms, or call our team on (08) 6255 9005 and tell them you're nervous — they'll take it from there.