We know that very few people enjoy coming to the dentist (even York Place) it is more a ‘must do’ than a ‘want to do’ for the vast majority of us. However, for some this visit to the dentist causing anxiety, even fear. If this sounds like you, then this blog is a must read.

How Do You Get Past Dental Phobia?

1. Talk to the Dentist: Our number one tip is talk to your dentist. They need to be made aware of your concerns and really understand the extent of your anxiety. This will allow you and your dentist to communicate and agree on the best way to carry out examinations/treatment. This could be stopping for regular intervals throughout the appointment, it could even be discussing sedations options (more on that later). You might even find that simply talking to your dentist, creating a relationship might put you at ease enough to keep the anxiety at bay.
2. Relaxing Methods: Think about what you do to relax in your day to day life – do you listen to music, do you watch tv? Asking your dentist to play your favourite CD or simply pop on the TV for some background distraction could make an enormous difference to your experience. Subconciously, your mind recognises your routine relaxation methods and will naturally help you feel more comfortable.
3. Breathe through it! As simple as this may sound, concentrate on breathing. Inhaling, exhaling, inhaling and exhaling…this is an old tried and tested relaxation method for many situations. It does help – it gives you a focus other than your anxiety and this focus distracts your attention and makes you feel more relaxed.
4. Sedation: Sedation can be used in more extreme cases of anxiety. Sedation takes the patient (via oral tablet or intravenous injection) into an extremely relaxed state while maintaining your consciousness. So you are awake throughout treatment but you are artificially relaxed. Many patients report that they do not remember the treatment at all.  Sedation dentistry has proven a particularly successful option for many patients at our practice and is something we would suggest for those of you experiencing severe anxiety over dental visits.
5. Counselling: Again, this is for more extreme cases, but counselling from a registered professional can make a huge difference to your experience. The NHS offer free counselling for extreme cases and will explore the cause of the phobia in order to address the root cause. This is another very successful option for those of you who are suffering severe phobia of the dentist.

These are a few methods which I would suggest you try to help ease you anxiety and improve your experiences of dental appointments. The most important advice is to talk to your dentist about you fears and discuss the best option for you!

 

Dental Phobia Certification

Richard, our Lead Dentist, is Dental Phobia registered. This means Richard is recognised by a professional body for his ability to treat nervous patients. In addition, Richard can also offer sedation treatments for extreme cases and has many contacts in the meditation field who can advise on calming techniques.

The main thing I want you to take from this blog is that, there is an answer out there! However mild or extreme your phobia is, there is a method to deal with it and ensure your experience is as positive as possible.