Dental Anxiety – Ten Strategies For Managing Your Fear Of Treatment

Posted on Posted in Anxiety

Don’t let this widespread issue prevent you from having a healthy mouth

When it comes to things that make us anxious, it is not unfair to say that visits to see a dentist are often high on the list, especially when you are due to receive an invasive treatment. It is important to remember that you are not alone and we regularly see nervous patients at our Burton dental clinic on an almost daily basis. The fact that dental anxiety is widespread though doesn’t always make us feel any better about our own upcoming appointment. Fear can be a good thing of course, and can help us to avoid potentially dangerous situations, but it can also deter us from doing things that are necessary for our health and that includes dental care.

In today’s blog, we are going to offer some suggestions that will hopefully help to enable patients of SG Dental and Implant Centre to receive essential dental care including treatment when needed. If, after reading this, you still feel anxious about your appointment and are tempted to cancel, please give us a call to see how we can offer further help.

Here are some tips then, that we hope you will find useful

1 – Find a supportive dental practice. Most dentists these days are sympathetic to nervous patients, and especially post Covid lockdown, we are aware that a lot of people weren’t able to see a dentist regularly and this may have contributed to their fear reoccurring. However anxious you feel though, please don’t cancel. Call us and talk to our friendly team who will do what they can to help you.

2 – Be open about your fears with the dentist. We may be able to help you understand your treatment better. Some patients like to know what will happen during a procedure whilst others prefer to know as little as possible, but we are always happy to answer any questions and guide you to receive your treatment in as comfortable a manner as possible.

3 – Take someone with you. One of the worst parts for many patients is the wait. Even in the most comfortable and relaxing of waiting rooms, you may hear the sound of drills and smell that ‘dentist smell’. You may also see people leave the practice looking like they are in some discomfort depending on the degree of their problem. At times like this, it can help to have a friendly face with you to help keep you calm and to distract you until your treatment time.

4 – Try some relaxation techniques. This one can be a case of trial and error but start by trying the most widely used ones such as breathing exercises or meditation. These might not work for everyone, but a number of patients at your convenient Burton dentist have said that they find them helpful to various degrees.

5 – Distraction techniques. While you may have heard suggestions to imagine yourself on your favourite beach or similar, this isn’t always easy as the drill approaches. Some find a more practical approach such as repeating a favourite phrase over and over in your mind helps. If you are learning a language you could, for example, count from 1 to 100 in your mind. This can distract you from worrying about any anticipated discomfort during the treatment.

6 – ‘Pause signals’. Your dentist will want you to be as relaxed as possible as this not only makes it better for you, but also means that any treatment can be carried out quickly and effectively and you won’t need to be in the dental chair for as long. Arrange a signal to request the dentist pause for a moment whilst you recompose yourself if you start to feel especially anxious.

7 – Look for support groups. Whether online or at a local group; sharing your concerns with others can help and you might find some relaxation methods that have helped others and may help you too. As is often said ‘a problem shared is a problem halved’.

8 – Hypnotism. Again, this is something which can be very effective for some people and less so for others but might be useful if other attempts are less successful. Seek a reputable hypnotist in your area. Your GP may be able to help you.

9 – Plan a treat. Dental treatments aren’t fun and there is no point in pretending otherwise, but they are essential for restoring damaged teeth. As it can feel like a real challenge to have your treatment, why not plan a treat for yourself once it has been done. For example, you might decide to take the rest of the day off work and treat yourself to a walk in the park, a visit to the cinema or buy yourself something nice from the shops.

10 – Seek your GP’s help. Where your level of anxiety is severe, don’t discount the help of your GP. For essential treatments, they may be able to prescribe something to keep you calm during your appointment. Make sure to follow their advice if you do this though and do try some of the other suggestions mentioned above first.

We hope that you find the above suggestions to be helpful and successful should you try them. Dental phobia is nothing to be ashamed of and if it affects you, please do let us know when you book your appointment. Our dental team are sympathetic to those who struggle to face their fear and attend their appointment and will do all that they can to help.

For further advice or to book an appointment with us, please call SG dental and Implant Centre on 01283 845345.