Fears and phobias surrounding the dentist

Whilst each individual suffers from their fear of the dentist in their own unique way, rest assured that if you have anxieties you are not alone. Studies have shown that a high percentage of people with fears and phobias surrounding the overall dental experience have had them since childhood, partially due to minimal appointments being attended or bad experiences. However, this does not mean that your anxiety is just another one of those things that you need to overcome alone. Our team is here to support every single patient, no matter how big or small their fears may seem.

How to reduce and potentially eliminate anxiety surrounding dental visits throughout childhood

Attending regular appointments from the age of around 6 months old can drastically reduce fears surrounding dental appointments in later life. Each check-up appointment, which could be in intervals of 6 to 12 months, can help reinforce a positive association with the dental practice. In some cases stickers or a toy may be given after the check-up. Whilst this may seem like a very simple idea, the impact of the positive associations can last throughout an individual’s life. This is one of the many reasons that regular check-up appointments throughout childhood are encouraged, so as to reduce nervous patients Guildford in the future.

Containing the fears and attending our practice

When nervous patients Guildford regard visits to the dental practice, it is all too easy to postpone, delay and continue to put the appointments off. In some cases the appointments never get rebooked and years pass before any consideration towards a visit arises again. Whilst without any physical pain this may seem like the way forward, after all, why force yourself into an uncomfortable situation, it can actually create further dental problems leading to extensive dental work further down the line. This is most definitely something everyone wishes to avoid, particularly when anxiety is already apparent.

In order to make your experience within the dental practice a positive one each time, it is important for you to inform the practice of any anxieties you may have before attending the appointment. By informing our friendly reception team we can work with you to ensure that any extra measures that may need to be taken can be put in place to assist with your overall comfort. It could vary from a simple visit without any other patients present to a particular piece of music being played. No matter what, upon discussion with our team we will work together with you to ensure that each visit is as gentle as possible.

The environment

Along with our friendly, approachable team our practice has also ensured that the entire layout and decoration of our modern practice is as calming and relaxing as possible. The approach to ensuring your comfort throughout your visit is important and therefore the environment combined with the dental team will hopefully have you feeling as much at ease as possible from day one.

Whilst all treatments and procedures can carry small potential risks it is important to know that thorough checks and consultations are carried out before any are undertaken. It is also encouraged that all patients discuss everything under consideration with their local dental team, so as to fully understand the processes before deciding upon a course of action. This is of particular importance for nervous patients Guildford as they may then feel more at ease.