Yes. Some people are so frightened of the dentist that they will not go for dental treatment. They can overcome their fears with relaxation or sedation. Our dentists are sympathetic about these feelings, and you can ask our dentists about these ways to help.
Once your dentist has a clear understanding of the nature of your condition, it is much easier for them to consider how you could be treated. For some mild cases of dental phobia, it could simply be a case of your dentists altering their ‘chairside manner'. It could be that they can explain treatments to you more fully and take more time to ensure that you are comfortable with what they are about to do. They may even use some simple distraction techniques to enable you to relax more fully during treatment.
We regularly treat people who have not seen a dentist in many years. Even if you think that your mouth is in a hopeless situation, in most instances that is not the case. There is absolutely no need for embarrassment-having seen many such patients, we totally understand.
One of the biggest issues surrounding dental phobia is that is can be a very isolating condition. Sufferers feel nervous and embarrassed, especially if their teeth are in poor condition. Very often, they also find it difficult to talk to someone about it, as they worry that people such as doctors and dentists will not appreciate how severe dental phobia can become.
The latest study, published in the British Dental Journal, looked at the characteristics of 130 patients (99 women and 31 men) attending a psychologist-led CBT service and the outcomes of their treatment. Patients attending a clinic run by the King's College London Dental Institute Health Psychology Service at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust were surveyed for their levels of dental anxiety, general anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts, alcohol use and oral health-related quality of life.
You will usually be able to remember everything that happened when you were hypnotised. The idea that a hypnotist can make you fall asleep suddenly isn't an accurate description of clinical hypnotherapy, which is practised by fully qualified health professionals such as dentists. Rather than being asleep, hypnosis is usually described as being in a daydream-like trance, similar to being immersed in a book or film.
These people suffer from extreme dental anxiety - which is more common in women than men - and the British Dental Health Foundation (BDHF) says they're often particularly frightened of having a tooth drilled (30%) or a local anaesthetic injection (28%).
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At Pittville Lawn our dentists understand that everyone's fears are different. Dental phobias are unique to us all, but it is a problem we can help you overcome. We want you to feel relaxed and at ease every time you visit the dentist, so there's nothing stopping you visiting us when problems do arise and you can get the best care possible. Avoiding dental care can have serious consequences on both health and confidence, so giving you peace of mind is our main priority.
Another sign of dental phobia is that the person will alter their route of travel significantly just to avoid being near to a dental clinic. Another symptom of the fear is that the sufferer will not talk about dental related subjects or may have to leave a room if the subject comes up in conversation or on a television show.
While IV sedation is desired precisely because of the amnesia effect (i. e. forgetting what happened while under the influence of the drug/s), there can be a downside to this: if you can't remember that the procedure wasn't uncomfortable or threatening, you cannot unlearn your fears. However, it depends on the precise nature of your phobia and the underlying causes to which extent this may be a problem. Some people would voice a concern that some patients can't be weaned off” IV sedation, as dental anxiety tends to returns to baseline levels. As a result, people who rely on IV sedation may be less likely to seek regular dental care. Other people would argue that this is not a concern if IV sedation is readily available to people.
This is also known as 'gas and air'. It's a mixture of the gas nitrous oxide and oxygen. You breathe it in through a mask placed over your nose that has a tube attached to a machine. You will be able to understand what your dentist is saying throughout the treatment, but the sedation should reduce your anxiety.
Environmental change: three studies have sought to make the dental environment more attractive to children attending the dental surgery. 18, 19, 20 For example, Fox and Newton 20 reported a decreased state of anxiety following exposure to positive images of the dental surgery as opposed to neutral images before treatment. Based upon theories of social learning and cognitive reconstruction, the authors aimed to provide positive cognitions concerning a trip to the dental clinic, in non-phobic children.
Many people are understandably concerned that they may inadvertently pass their fear of the dentist to their children. They are right to be worried as children are very sensitive to the feelings of their parents. So get your dental phobia sorted for their sake, as well as yours.
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