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Let’s acknowledge something that often goes unsaid: dental anxiety is incredibly common, deeply felt, and absolutely nothing to be embarrassed about. If you’re reading this because you’ve been putting off dental care for months—or years—because the thought of sitting in that chair makes your heart race, you’re in the company of millions. If you’ve cancelled appointments at the last minute, if you’ve convinced yourself your teeth “aren’t that bad yet”, if the sound of a drill or the smell of a dental surgery triggers genuine panic, you’re not alone, you’re not being ridiculous, and most importantly, there’s help available that actually works.
At Queen Square Dental Clinic in Bristol, a significant portion of patients arrive with some level of dental anxiety. Some are mildly nervous. Others have full-blown dental phobia that’s kept them away for decades. What they discover is that dental care doesn’t have to be the ordeal they’ve built up in their minds. With the right approach, the right expertise, and a genuine understanding of what anxious patients need, treatment can be—surprisingly—manageable.
Dr Mark Gillis, who leads nervous patient care at Queen Square, has built his practice around one simple principle: nobody should avoid essential dental care because of fear. His certification in dental phobia management and his membership in the Society for the Advancement of Anaesthesia in Dentistry represent serious credentials in this field. But what matters most to anxious patients isn’t the qualifications—it’s the fact that he genuinely understands, he’s not going to judge you, and he has proven methods for making treatment feel safe.
Here are seven specific ways Queen Square makes anxious patients feel comfortable, safe, and genuinely cared for.
1. We Have a Dentist Certified in Dental Phobia
This isn’t just someone who’s “good with nervous patients”—Dr Gillis holds official certification from Dental Phobia, an organisation dedicated to understanding and addressing the specific needs of anxious dental patients. He’s also a member of the Society for the Advancement of Anaesthesia in Dentistry, which represents the highest standards in sedation practice.
What does this actually mean for you? It means Dr Gillis has invested significant time and training specifically in understanding dental anxiety—not as an inconvenience to be managed, but as a legitimate condition requiring expert care. He understands the psychology of fear, the physiological responses that come with panic, and the proven techniques for helping patients move through anxiety rather than fighting against it.
He’s seen every manifestation of dental fear. The patient who’s fine until they hear the drill, then immediately panics. The person who’s been rehearsing excuses to leave since they walked through the door. The patient who hasn’t been to a dentist in twenty years and is terrified of being judged. He’s helped hundreds of anxious patients receive the care they’ve been avoiding, and he approaches each case with patience, understanding, and practical solutions.
This isn’t just about being “nice” (though he is). It’s about having verifiable expertise in managing dental phobia.
2. IV Sedation Means You Won’t Remember Feeling Anxious
For many anxious patients, the breakthrough comes through intravenous sedation. This isn’t general anaesthesia (you’re not unconscious), and it’s not just “calming down” through breathing exercises. It’s a medication delivered through a small cannula in your arm that creates a profound sense of calm and detachment from anxiety.
Patients describe it as a dreamlike state. You’re technically conscious and can respond to simple instructions, but you feel completely relaxed. The fear that’s been controlling you simply isn’t there during treatment. Time seems to pass incredibly quickly—a two-hour procedure might feel like twenty minutes. And crucially, you typically won’t remember much about the treatment itself.
This last point is actually therapeutic. If your dental anxiety stems from previous difficult experiences, you’re not adding another distressing memory to the collection. Instead, you’re left with the memory of feeling calm and cared for, which can help rebuild your relationship with dental care over time.
Dr Gillis is qualified and experienced in administering IV sedation, and the protocols at Queen Square are rigorous. Your vital signs are monitored throughout, a trained team is present, and you’ll need someone to accompany you home afterwards. It’s serious medication used seriously, which is exactly how it should be.
For patients with severe dental phobia, sedation isn’t a luxury—it’s what makes treatment possible.
3. No Judgment, Ever
Let’s address the elephant in the room: if you’ve avoided the dentist for years, your teeth probably aren’t in great shape. You know this. You’re probably embarrassed about it. You might be imagining the dentist looking at your mouth with barely concealed disgust, mentally criticising your neglect.
Here’s what actually happens at Queen Square: Dr Gillis has seen everything. Teeth that haven’t been cleaned in decades. Mouths where half the teeth are broken or missing. Cases where infection has been left so long that the person is in chronic pain. His response is always the same: “I’m glad you’re here now. Let’s work together to help you.”
There’s no lecture about what you should have done differently. No sighing or tutting. No making you feel worse than you already feel. Just an honest assessment of the current situation and a conversation about how to move forward.
The entire team at Queen Square embodies this philosophy. From the moment you call to book an appointment (which, for anxious patients, is often one of the hardest steps), the reception staff understand that you might be nervous. They’re patient, they’re kind, and they’ll never make you feel like a nuisance for asking questions or expressing concerns.
This culture of “continental warmth”—that Italian-inspired approach to care that founder Dr Alfonso Rao has built into the practice—means you’re treated like a valued person, not judged like a problem patient.
4. You Control the Pace
One of the most distressing aspects of dental treatment for anxious patients is the sense of powerlessness. You’re reclined in a chair, someone’s working in your mouth, you can’t speak clearly, and you feel trapped. That loss of control can trigger intense anxiety.
Dr Gillis addresses this directly by ensuring you always have control over the pace of treatment. Before anything begins, you’ll establish a signal (typically raising your hand) that means “stop immediately”. Not “finish what you’re doing and then we’ll take a break”, but stop. Right now.
Knowing you can halt things at any moment paradoxically makes it easier to continue. The anxiety lessens when you’re not fighting against the feeling of being trapped. You’re choosing to be there; you can choose to pause, and that sense of agency makes an enormous difference.
Some patients need frequent breaks. That’s fine. Some need a minute to compose themselves when anxiety spikes. Also fine. Some need to pause and ask exactly what’s happening and why. Absolutely fine. There’s no time pressure, no sense that you’re inconveniencing anyone, and no rushing through treatment to “get it over with”.
This patient-led pacing is particularly important during longer procedures or when working with patients who’ve had previous traumatic experiences. You set the rhythm, and Dr Gillis works within that.
5. Meet the Dentist First, No Treatment Required
Here’s something many anxious patients don’t realise: you don’t have to have treatment at your first appointment. In fact, for many people with severe dental anxiety, the best use of the initial consultation is simply getting to know Dr Gillis, seeing the practice, asking questions about sedation, and leaving. That’s it.
This “getting to know you” appointment serves several purposes. It allows you to meet Dr Gillis in a non-threatening context where nothing invasive is going to happen. You can discuss your specific fears openly—what exactly triggers your anxiety? What’s worked or hasn’t worked in the past? What would help you feel safer?
It also demystifies the environment. Dental surgeries can feel intimidating, particularly if you haven’t been in one for years. Walking through the door, meeting the team, seeing that it’s actually quite welcoming, and then leaving without having treatment can significantly reduce anxiety about the next visit.
For some patients, just knowing this option exists provides relief. There’s no pressure to commit to treatment immediately. You’re gathering information, building trust, and deciding whether Queen Square feels like the right place for you. If it does, you’ll book treatment when you’re ready. If you need more time, that’s respected.
This approach recognises that for anxious patients, the psychological preparation is as important as the clinical treatment.
6. Continental Warmth Isn’t Marketing—It’s How We Work
Dr Rao, Queen Square’s founder and Clinical Director, is Italian-born. He’s created what’s been described as “one of Bristol’s most warm and welcoming clinics”, combining “superb clinical care” with “continental welcoming and warmth”. This isn’t corporate branding—it’s a genuine reflection of how the practice operates.
What does this actually look like? It’s the reception staff remembering your name and asking how you’ve been. It’s Dr Gillis taking time to chat about something unrelated to dentistry to help you relax before treatment. It’s the dental nurse checking in frequently during procedures to see how you’re feeling. It’s the atmosphere feeling more like a welcoming space than a clinical facility.
For anxious patients, this warmth makes an enormous difference. Cold, efficient, business-like dentistry—however technically competent—can heighten anxiety. You feel like a case to be processed rather than a person to be cared for. At Queen Square, the European-inspired culture creates genuine human connection alongside clinical excellence.
This extends to practical details. If you need to reschedule because anxiety got the better of you, there’s no penalty or frustration. If you need to ask the same question three times because anxiety is making it hard to concentrate, that’s fine. If you need reassurance that everything’s going well during treatment, you’ll receive it.
The award-winning recognition Queen Square has received for both standards of work and patient care reflects this dual commitment—technical excellence delivered with genuine warmth.
7. We Can Complete Multiple Treatments in One Sedated Visit
Here’s a practical advantage that matters enormously to anxious patients: under IV sedation, Dr Gillis can often complete multiple procedures in a single appointment that would normally require several visits.
If you’ve avoided the dentist for years, you probably need more than one thing addressed. Perhaps several fillings, an extraction, and some gum treatment. Traditionally, that’s multiple appointments, each one triggering anxiety, each one requiring you to psych yourself up and force yourself through the door.
With sedation, all of that can be condensed into one session. You arrive nervous, you’re gently eased into a peaceful state, the necessary work is completed whilst you’re calm and comfortable, and when you wake up, it’s done. Weeks or months of dental anxiety compressed into a single manageable experience.
This efficiency is possible because you’re deeply relaxed, time seems to pass quickly for you, and Dr Gillis can work without the interruptions that naturally occur when patients are anxious. It’s not rushed—it’s focused, thorough work completed in a setting where your comfort is maintained throughout.
Dr Gillis also has accreditations in implant dentistry, which become relevant for patients who’ve lost teeth due to years of dental neglect. The restoration work that rebuilds a smile can also be completed under sedation, meaning you’re not just addressing immediate problems—you’re comprehensively restoring your oral health in a way that feels manageable rather than overwhelming.
That First Phone Call Is the Hardest Step
Dr Gillis says something that resonates with anxious patients: for most people with dental phobia, the hardest part is making that first phone call. The anticipation, the dread, the imagining of worst-case scenarios—that’s where the real suffering happens. The actual treatment, especially under sedation, is almost anticlimactic by comparison.
If you’ve read this far, you’re probably considering finally addressing the dental problems you’ve been avoiding. You’re wondering whether Queen Square might be the place where you can finally receive care without the overwhelming anxiety that’s kept you away.
Here’s what happens when you call: you’ll speak with reception staff who understand that you might be nervous. They won’t pressure you. They’ll listen to your concerns, explain what a first appointment involves (or arrange a no-treatment consultation if that feels safer), and answer your questions patiently. You’re not committing to anything by calling—you’re just gathering information.
If you book an appointment with Dr Gillis, you’ll meet someone who’s dedicated his advanced training to helping patients exactly like you. Someone who’s certified in managing dental phobia, who’s helped hundreds of anxious patients receive the care they’ve been avoiding, and who genuinely understands that your fear is real and deserves respect rather than dismissal.
The years of avoiding dental care have probably taken a toll—not just on your teeth, but on your confidence, your comfort, and your quality of life. You deserve to be able to eat without pain, smile without self-consciousness, and stop carrying the weight of dental anxiety and neglect.
That first phone call is the hardest step. Make it today: call Queen Square Dental Clinic on 0117 927 2797. Let’s have a conversation with no pressure, no judgement, and no obligation. You’ve been carrying this burden long enough. We’re here to help you put it down, and we have the expertise, the compassion, and the proven methods to make it possible. Your dental health matters, and so does your peace of mind.
