How To Overcome Your Dental Phobia

We are aware that many people are so frightened of the dentist that they avoid dental treatment altogether – here at Woodborough House Dental Practice we are sympathetic in recognising that many patients experience real anxiety. Dental phobia is very common, and it can range from mild to severe.

Most people who suffer from dental phobia fear more than one element of the dentist experience, like the possibility of pain, needles or even the smell of the examination room. Every aspect of the patient’s fear needs to be tackled in order to make the whole experience as comfortable as possible.

When dental phobia keeps people from going to the dentist for long periods of time, it can have very bad consequences on the general health of the body – untreated dental problems get worse and worse, like tooth decay and gum disease, which lead to tooth loss and infections. It’s even more important to keep up with your regular check-ups during COVID-19, as gum disease is believed to be linked to life-threatening respiratory complications. Pain is also a common effect of dental phobia, caused by delayed treatments.

We offer a number of approaches to help you overcome your fear of the dentist so that we can give you a healthy smile. One of the most important parts of our job is to ensure that we listen to you carefully and understand your needs and concerns we are very experienced in treating nervous patients and feel that this is one of the most important elements in solving your dental phobia. We also offer sedation dentistry for patients who are particularly nervous.

An effective way to treat the most nervous of patients is via intravenous sedation (injection). The medications that we use have a relaxing and calming effect but don’t prevent communication between dentist and patient so treatment can still be carried out easily. Weight, age and medical condition must be assessed before suitability for this kind of sedation is determined but this would all be discussed during your consultation.

Dr Sarah Fitzharris is a Dental Phobia Certified Dentist, and our entire clinical staff can help you navigate this experience – no matter how scared you are, we are here for you!

Now that you know what we can do for you, we also want to give you some tips to stay as calm as possible before and during a dentist appointment:

1. Start slowly, with a check-up or hygiene consultation.
2. When possible, take a friend of family member with you.
3. While in the waiting room, distract yourself with a mobile game, a book or some relaxing music.
4. Take a stress ball or something comforting you can hold during the appointment.
5. Do some breathing exercises to keep panic attacks at bay.
6. Ask as many questions as you need to your dentist, they are there to help you through the process.
7. Reward yourself after the consultation – this way, you’ll have something to look forward to.

Are you ready to overcome your fears? Give us a call on 0118 984 3108 and take the first step to a healthier smile!