Having a fear of the dentist is common, however there are
ways that you can manage it. Sometimes there are things you can do to overcome
a fear yourself, whereas other people may need help from doctors or health
professionals. Either way, we will give options you can work through to help
ease your fear and get the dental help you need.
Choose Your Dentist Carefully
Firstly, we’d recommend that you do some research to find a
dentist who openly discusses that they are experienced with anxious patients.
When a dentist is open about this, they likely have procedures in place
throughout their practice to help and support people with a fear of the
dentist. Have a read of different websites of dentists in your area and look
for mentions of helping nervous patients. If there aren’t any mentions this
doesn’t mean that they aren’t experienced in this area, so simply send them an
email or give them a call just explaining that you have a fear of the dentist
and ask if there is anything they can do to help.
Examples of how dentists may help people with dental anxiety
include allowing them to take control in an appointment and take breaks
whenever they need, avoiding long waiting times, encouraging breathing
techniques, playing calming music and generally working with you to find out
what can help, or making suggestions that they have found to work in the past.
When you’ve had bad dental experiences in the past, it can be easy to have
those at the forefront of your mind. However, there are so many fantastic
dentists out there, from cosmetic dentists in Leeds through to general dentists in London, so don’t give up
your search!
Arrange A Tour Before Your Appointment
For some people, if they’re booking an appointment with a new
dentist, the element of the unknown only adds to the fear. Unfamiliar people
and surroundings can make your fear worse, so we’d recommend arranging a
tour before it can help. Give them a call and then you can arrange a
tour, you can go to the practice (knowing how the journey will be may also
help), meet the team, meet your dentist and generally just have a bit of a chat
without the pressure of knowing that you’ll be having a treatment that same
day.
You can talk about your concerns with the dentist
in a consultation room away from one of the surgeries, where experienced
dentists will be able to ease some of your concerns and provide different
options. For example, if you want or need a specific treatment that may require
a tooth being removed, perhaps there are alternative options where you can
still get the results you’re looking for. It’s really easy to come to worst-case conclusions when you have a fear, so this can help to ease your mind and give
you a chance to think about things before your next appointment.
Make Sure To Tell Your Dentist
If you decide not to go for a tour before your appointment,
it’s still so important that you let your dentist know about your fear. The way
that they carry out the appointment can change if they know that you
aren’t comfortable or you are scared to be there, so it’s worth
letting them know. From giving you more time to get comfortable to ensure you’ve got a signal in place to stop the appointment at any time, as well as
helping to put your nerves at ease, it can make a big difference.
We’d recommend that you let them know in advance if you’re a
bit worried about bringing it up in the appointment because then the dentist
can take control of the appointment from there. You don’t even need to call up
if that makes you nervous, simply drop them an email. If there is anything
specific that causes the fear, such as injections or any noises, you can also
flag this and there may be alternative options that can be used to ease
this.
Bring A Friend or Family Member
For some people, the idea of going to the dentist on their
own and sitting in the waiting room can be daunting and it can make the
anxiety before the appointment much worse. So, instead, you could bring a friend
or family member to the dentist with you. This can help to keep your mind
occupied on the way to the appointment as well as in the waiting room, then
you’ll have someone familiar there with you as well which can also help ease
anxiety. If you didn’t want your friend in the appointment with you, they could
wait outside, so you know when you leave there is someone there waiting as
well. Sometimes a friendly face can make a big difference when it comes to
anxiety and phobias, so consider this as an option.
Ask About Sedation Options
For people who need certain dental work done and suffer from
a phobia of the dentist, to keep you safe and reduce the stress that can
be caused by a phobia, there are sedation options available for particular
treatments. This isn’t available at every practice and not everyone will be
able to have it (for example if you have certain pre-existing medical
conditions), however, it’s something to discuss with your dentist. You can have
certain areas numbed before the treatment, or there are options to help put you
into a deeply relaxed state for the treatment. This is different to general
anaesthetic where you’re fully unconscious, however, it can transform the
experience for people with fear.
Speak To A Medical Professional
Something else people with a serious phobia of the dentist
can consider is speaking to a medical professional who may suggest cognitive
behavioural therapy. It can help to look into the causes behind the phobia as well
as coping mechanisms beyond the ones we’ve discussed here. This is one of the
last case scenarios as it can be hard to access unless you pay privately,
however, it can be very successful. If you speak to your doctor, they may
prescribe anxiety-relieving medication as well, particularly if you experience
fear and anxiety in other areas of your life too. If a fear of the dentist is
seriously impacting you and affecting your ability to get the medical treatment
you need, make sure to speak to a medical professional who is experienced in
this area.