Dentophobia- a fear of going to the dentist- is extremely common amongst many children and adults in the UK. Nervous patients in Guildford usually have something in common – they experience anxiety attached to trips to the dentists for reasons that may, or may not, be rational. Nervous patients in Guildford may be suffering from dental phobia whether they realise it or not. But the question is, what makes nervous patients in Guildford so afraid?

A fear of pain

No one likes pain, let alone dental pain which can be extremely traumatic and scarring. Once a person endures a particularly painful procedure with a dentist, it is extremely difficult to overcome and forget about it. In many cases, it becomes lodged in our brains and serves as a reminder that all experiences with a dentist must be the same. But this isn’t true whatsoever, no two experiences are ever the same. Thanks to anaesthetics, most procedures nowadays are actually painless. Some patients may experience minor discomfort after an invasive procedure, but this can usually be managed with over-the-counter painkillers.

Remembering a bad experience

One bad experience can set a precedent for every dental visit in the future. One bad experience can induce intense fear and can often stop patients visiting their dental practice when necessary, or ever again for that matter. Unfortunately, some procedures can vastly change the state of your mouth and may take a long time to complete. Naturally, this would be nerve-racking, but it should never put you off visiting your dentist ever again. In most circumstances, the worst has been and gone, and it can only get better.

Worried about bad news?

Fear of bad news is common across all medical fields. With modern technology such as google, it is very easy to self-diagnose and let anxiety consume us. Putting off news from your dentist can be very detrimental for your health if your condition is serious. No one wants to receive bad news, but it is necessary to improve your life in the long term and speaking to your dentist sooner rather than later could save you a lot of money or pain in the future. That being said, not all news is bad and patients need to remind themselves of that.

Fear of tools

Some dental instruments can look intimidating and scary. From drills to metal scrapers, some of their tools can induce fear in patients and can turn routine check-ups into traumatic experiences. Dental tools cannot be changed but rest assured, they are being handled by a professional at Farnham Road Dental Practice who knows how to work them. In most cases, they look scarier than they are.

Feeling vulnerable

Feeling vulnerable during a procedure can cause intense anxiety and fear. Lack of control or feeling trapped are common emotions to experience during dental work, but often this can spiral and lead to more fears. However, your dentist will always explain each and every step of the procedure to you, which should eliminate the fear of not knowing. 

A trip to the dentist for nervous patients in Guildford can be daunting for many reasons. Nervous patients in Guildford worry that it will be painful, embarrassing, and frightening, but our professionals, here at Farnham Road Dental Practice, are experienced in helping patients overcome their fears. Nervous patients in Guildford will always be listened to and supported through treatment, because we understand that dental work can be traumatic. Here are our tips on how to handle your dental anxiety. 

Choose the right dentist

If you suffer from dental anxiety, selecting a dentist who will listen and consider your fears is very important. A dentist who is empathetic and patient is more likely to present these qualities during your treatment, as opposed to someone who is not. For children who suffer from dental anxiety, try seeking out a paediatric dentist who is trained to deal with youngsters. This is particularly important for children, because one negative experience could traumatise them for many years, turning even minor procedures, such as routine check-ups, into a distressing event.

Change your perception of fear

Pain is an experience that sticks with us all. Anaesthetic and numbing gel are effective in numbing or alleviating pain but depending on the procedure, some pain may linger. In order to overcome your fear of pain, experts would recommend performing deep breathing exercises to slow your heartbeat and clear your mind. Similarly, learning different ways to relax before your appointment could help with pain management and make your entire experience more bearable.

Request numbing gel

Studies have shown that across all medical fields, one in five people are scared of needles. Needles can be very intimidating, and it is natural to feel nervous, especially when that needle is being injected into your mouth. Rest assured, dentists will usually administer numbing gel to relieve the pain of injection and will always take your anxiety into consideration. Most patients have described that with numbing gel, dental injections have been completely painless.

Listen to music

Fear can sometimes be triggered by sounds and in the case of dental care, drills can instil huge levels of anxiety. This is normal, but an empathetic dentist will also consider this fear and suggest ways to improve the situation. Use headphones to drown out the sound. Music can be incredibly soothing and distracting, and could help drown out the daunting buzz of a dental drill.

Anaesthetic is not as frightening as it seems

Anaesthetic across dental and medical fields can be an area of great concern. A lot of people worry that they will still experience pain, whereas others fear the sensation of numbness and feeling out of control. The anaesthetic used during dental procedures simply numbs a particular area, but does not stop the ability to function. Even if your cheek or tongue feels swollen when numbed, you will still be able to swallow properly and move them.

It is natural to feel embarrassed

Dentists deal with damaged, discoloured, and decaying teeth every single day, which is why you should never feel ashamed about the condition of yours. Being open and honest about this with your dentist could prevent unwarranted anxiety and apprehension. Their words of reassurance could make your experience far more relaxing.

Are you one of those people who have had a lifetime of having to steel yourself every time you go to the dentist? Of shaking, sweating with anxiety when you get there, maybe not even being able to go over the threshold of the clinic?

Being scared of the dentist may be entirely irrational, but no amount of logic can help solve a phobia. And about 13% of the world’s population suffers from dental phobia. This is the extreme end of being scared to visit the dentist.

What’s so scary about the dentist?

There are so many aspects of dentistry that can frighten people. Some people are scared of needles. Others have developed a phobia about the drill. Some have had their fears passed onto them from watching parents who were also scared of the dentist. For others, their fears stem from an unfortunate experience in their childhood, back when dentistry was more brutal than today. Now dentists are routinely trained to calm and soothe nervous patients.

The knock-on effects of being a nervous patient

If you keep trying and failing to get to the dentist because of your fears, it could be years since you had a check-up, let alone any treatment. It’s not uncommon for nervous patients to have waited until things have gotten very bad inside their mouths before the pain finally drives them into the dentist for emergency treatment.

The trouble with putting off check-ups and treatments is that any treatments are always going to be driven by an emergency. That means more pain, more anaesthetic, and more time in the chair.

It’s far better to find a way to reduce the anxiety. One way is to tell us about your fears and then we can work together to help to reduce them. Of course, sedation is available. We also suggest coming in to view the practice and having a chat with us before you even think about booking an appointment for a check-up or treatment. We can talk about what makes you anxious and find ways to enable you to relax. Just getting to know us will take some of your anxiety away.

Being scared of the dentist used to be thought of as something a bit silly. Few people liked to own up to it, especially if they were big, strong, capable people who weren’t scared of anything else. Nowadays, however, fear of the dentist has been recognised as being very common. Even extreme fear of the dentist, that which is so bad as to be termed a phobia, is not unusual. Around 13% of the world’s population are classified as suffering from dental phobia.

It’s nice to know you are not alone, but even nicer if you know that your dentist knows all about dental phobia and has trained in ways to make it easier to bear.

What does dental phobia feel like?

Dental phobia is more than just being a bit nervous. You may experience panic attacks, shakiness and sweating, just at the thought of going to the dentist. This level of fear often leads patients to cancel appointments, if they manage to make them in the first place.

The vicious cycle of dental phobia

Suffering from dental phobia can lead to a vicious cycle of avoiding check-ups, ignoring mild symptoms of decay and gum disease, cancelling or just not showing up for more appointments, and then finally only coming along when the pain in the mouth is stronger than the discomfort of extreme anxiety.

By this stage, treatments are more likely to be invasive and lengthy, involving local anaesthetics, which for those of us who are scared of needles is a particular nightmare. Long, involved treatments only serve to reinforce the fear, no matter how gentle and caring the dental staff have been.

Are you a sufferer of dental phobia?

If you think you might be dental phobic, it’s important that you tell the staff at Farnham Road Dental Practice when you first come and register with us. Or, if you have been too scared in the past to tell us, then tell us now. We won’t laugh at you or scold you. We just want to make sure that we offer you all the knowledge and experience we have in dealing with nervous patients, so that we can make your next experience a positive one.

At Farnham Road Dental Practice, we have a lot of experience dealing with nervous patients in Guildford. This means we have seen a variety of different people and reasons for dental fear. Some people have a combination of issues whereas others have a strong experience of a particular kind of phobia.

If you have anxiety around visiting the dentist, we encourage you to come and talk to a member of our friendly team. We can tailor a treatment plan that incorporates sensitivity to your particular issues so that we can support you. It may be tempting to wait until you really need to visit the dentist but this can have a strongly detrimental effect on your oral health and lead to the need for more extensive treatment later that could be avoided with action right now.

Just a few of the common reasons for dental fear include:

• Lack of control – we understand that lying back in a dentist’s chair can be a vulnerable position. You cannot see what is going on and it can be hard to communicate. If this is particularly difficult for you, we can agree to provide you will all the information you need as you go along. The dentist will narrate what is happening so you feel like you are a part of the process. We can arrange a signalling system so you can let us know if you need a break or a chance to speak;
• Needles – there are some dental procedures that require the use of needles for anaesthesia. We think that developments in dentistry mean that these are more comfortable than they used to be but you may still feel some sensation. We can discuss sedation options with you that will help you feel calmer if you need an injection. We can also ensure that you never see the needle as, for some people, this can be helpful;
• Judgement – some people feel quite paranoid about their oral health and think that they may be judged for the state of their teeth. We are happy to talk to you about this anxiety and can reassure you that we understand why someone might not visit their dentist for long periods of time.

Many people have trepidation about visiting their dentist. This might be on any level from slight anxiety all the way through to full-blown phobia. If this is you then visiting the dentist is probably not an easy task. At Farnham Road Dental Practice, we want to offer you a better experience of dentistry so that you can look after your teeth when you need to.

There are a number of ways that we offer nervous patients support when they visit Farnham Road Dental Practice. These include:

• Communication – this is perhaps the primary skill that we can offer initially. While dental fear is common, each person’s experience of it is unique. We want to understand as much as we can about how you perceive your dental treatment so that we can tailor our other skills to change this for the better. A member of our team will talk to you, ask questions and get a full picture of your needs. It doesn’t necessarily matter if you don’t know why you are worried about visiting the dentist. We provide you with plenty of information so you know what to expect during your treatments and can ask questions about anything that you think might be difficult for you;
• Adaptation – supporting your dental visits sometimes means that we adapt our techniques and the environment to make you more comfortable. For example, you may be particularly bothered by the sensory experience of dental visits. Some patients do not like the bright lights or the noises. We may be able to soften your experience of these things if we know that they have a detrimental effect;
• Sedation – if you need to have a more extensive dental procedure, we can discuss sedation options with you. This is normally on top of any anaesthetic that we use to numb the area for treatment. Sedation for nervous patients focuses primarily on creating a relaxed mental state. Once you have had a positive visit or two, we think it will begin to change your view of the dentist. This is called creating a ‘positive feedback loop’ so you can expect to be able to approach future appointments with calmer feelings.

Dental anxiety is a very common phenomenon. Some people feel afraid of the dentist, whereas others are put off by the idea of pain and oral treatment. At Farnham Road Dental Practice in Guilford, we understand that a visit to the dentist can be quite challenging. That’s why we have adopted a relaxed and informal approach that helps put our patients at ease. Moreover, we offer various sedation options to ensure you never skip your next dental appointment again.

What is dental sedation?

Dental sedation refers to a number of relaxation techniques (whether medical or not) that aim at calming patients before and during dental treatments. A lot of patients avoid visiting the dentist even if they suffer from a bad toothache, because of dental phobia. Medical sedation involves the administration of a mild sedative orally or through the bloodstream (IV or intravenous sedation). Sedation is different from general anaesthesia because the patient remains conscious throughout the treatment, maintaining his calm and control.

Who needs dental sedation?

Sedation is ideal for patients who fear to visit the dentist, or are anxious about more complex dental procedures involving an operation. Sedation is also a good option for patients who are afraid of needles.

Some people may suffer from medical conditions that make their teeth and gums sensitive and susceptible to pain, therefore, sedation is an ideal option for comfortable treatment. Our experienced dentists are open to discussion on all types of sedation with you and explain to you how they actually work in order to make the best decision possible.

What are my options?

There are two main types of dental sedation used to relax patients during dental treatment. Depending on your health and individual needs, oral or intravenous (IV) sedation can be of benefit. The first one comes in the form of a pill or other medicine that has to be taken in advance of dental treatment. IV sedation, on the other hand, is administered shortly before the treatment by an experienced and well-trained dentist, constantly monitoring the patient’s heart blood flow, oxygen and pulse. Our dentists are happy to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each option and help you decide what’s best for you.

When it comes to patient comfort, at Farnham Road Dental Practice in Guilford we understand that putting your mind at ease is an essential part of dental care. With nearly 10% of British people having an exaggerated fear of the dentist, you are not alone. Whatever the cause, we appreciate your anxiety and we are here to help you overcome it.

Why are people anxious of the dentist?

Anxiety in the dental setting is something dentists come across frequently. At Farnham Road Dental Practice, we explain treatments as thoroughly as possible in order to avoid any surprises and we listen to our nervous patients without judging them. Dental phobia (fear of the dentist) is a very common fear. In some cases, it may have occurred after a bad experience with a dentist in the past.

For some people it is directly related to the expectation of something painful. Others just can’t tolerate the needles, the noise, or even the smells of a dental practice.

For all these reasons, we have a gently and friendly approach and we offer sedation dentistry, to help you have a relaxing and comfortable dental experience.

Intravenous sedation

Intravenous sedation is a very effective technique for the complete control of anxiety in nervous patients. As the name suggests, IV sedation involves the administration of a mild sedative through the bloodstream before a dental treatment. IV sedation will not knock you out completely – you will still be able to communicate with the dentist if needed, but you will feel relaxed and pain-free throughout the treatment.

IV sedation is ideal for complex oral treatments such as dental implants, tooth extractions or root canal treatment. IV sedation is very safe when carried out by a specially trained dentist. However pregnant women and people suffering from certain conditions cannot have IV sedation for safety reasons.

Once the procedure is finished you will feel completely relaxed, yet you will still be under the influence of the sedative for a few hours. It is strongly advised to bring an escort to accompany your home, otherwise you will have to wait at the dental practice for the drug to wear off in order to leave on your own.