Our Approach to Relieving Anxiety and Phobias
People who’ve developed an anxiety or phobia about visiting the dentist can go years without treatment. Anxious patients must be treated with the correct care and attention and one of the most frequently recurring aspects of our consultations is to do with a patient’s phobia regarding dental treatment. It’s part of our job to mitigate the anxieties that may have prevented a phobic patient from returning in the past. Our approach is always to put the patient at the centre of what we do. By listening to their concerns, we can make sure that our patients have nothing to fear when they embark on a course of treatment with us.
It’s Not Just About Pain
Some people’s anxieties have arisen because they had painful experiences in the past. Last week, we wrote about our approach to the alleviation and management of dental pain. However, we recognise that this is not the whole story. Anxieties can present themselves in a variety of ways. For instance, you might be anxious about crowded waiting rooms or needles. Our approach, in all cases, is to encourage you to share your anxieties as early as possible in the process. Then we can take the appropriate course of action to reduce the anxiety.
Making Our Patients Feel at Ease
Sue’s anxieties about visiting the dentist had prevented her from getting treatment. Nevertheless, she knew that she really had to do something and came to us with lots of questions and discussed her concerns and dental history. Unfortunately, Sue’s oral health had suffered to the extent where extractions were necessary and a thorough treatment plan would need to be embarked upon before dental implants could be placed, but none of this has phased Sue.
She is happily wearing a temporary dental plate at the moment, but is so relaxed with her treatment and how she has been helped to overcome her fears that she wanted to speak out at this interim stage to help other dental phobics. She says:
“If you haven’t been for a while and you are feeling a bit nervous about the dentist, these people will make you feel 100% better straight away.”
Be honest with us and we will do our best to alleviate your anxieties about visiting the dentist. Dental procedures and pain management have evolved a lot over the years. If you have any questions about any of our processes, please don’t hesitate to call our reception on 01603 632525.
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