We all know that regular trips to the dentist are important for most of us; they are simply an inconvenient routine and usually a mundane experience. This is not the case for anxious patients whose anxiety over attending a simple dental check-up can be so crippling that they either deliberately or subconsciously find reasons to not attend or ignore their checkups completely.

Nervous patients in Guildford are our top priority when it comes to receiving care. More often than not, they have missed appointments and often find themselves requiring emergency care more than the average. Many of the nervous patients in Guildford we see in our clinic feel that their behaviours are particularly odd or that they are strange. The unfortunate truth is that nearly a quarter of all patients have some concerns about the dentist and one in 10 people are considered officially dental phobic, to the point of avoiding dental care unless absolutely essential. This unfortunately has the side effect of delaying care and resulting in more radical treatment being necessary to resolve the condition that could have been treated relatively simply if it had been picked up in its early stages.

Here at Farnham Road Dental Practice, we understand that patients come with their own unique set of experiences and prerequisites. When it comes to their perception of dentists (and although our intention is only to support our patients and maintain their dental health and get the most out of treatment), their previous experiences have led them to expect the worst from a dentist. Alternatively, patients may have had very few, if any, experiences of dentists and have inherited their negative perspective from parents or parental figures who experienced dentistry which was far less focused around patients comfort than modern techniques. Much of the old family horror stories about dentistry are either heavily embellished or based around procedures which have long since been stopped.

There is a very primeval aversion which we all have; to be in a vulnerable position with somebody close to us who possesses a sharp implement. It is similar to the type of phobia that many young people have regarding hairdressers; the act of sitting or lying with somebody so close to your personal space is an ernerving and it is understandable that many people find the dentist quite unsettling, regardless of the intention of their visit or the standard of  their teeth.

Managing dental anxiety in the clinic

We attempt to manage dental aversions in the clinic through communication and spending the additional time explaining the procedure as well as agreeing on a non-verbal communication strategy before starting any work. This allows the patient to stop the procedure at any time by raising their hand or some other form of signal. We are entirely comfortable with patients bringing and playing their own music as well as wearing dark glasses or a blackout blindfold during the procedure if they find this helps.

If you have any further questions or you or a family member who would be a nervous patient in Guildford and would like to speak about what measures can be taken to make your or their visit more comfortable, please feel free to get in contact with the clinic.