Posts tagged “dental phobia”

Dental Phobia Patients Need not Feel Alone when London Dentists are Around

February 1st, 2012

It’s true that many people find it very scary to visit the dentist. The fear is sometimes due to the thought of the dental treatments you believe to be painful or due to previous bad experiences at the dentist. You may also be anxious about the cost of your dental treatment, which is a very real problem in our current economical climate. However, the fact is that not all dental treatments are painful and with the medical and technological advancements made in the dental field, pain is most cases is a distant thought. Many dentists are also willing to give you proper care at a proper and decent price and may even be able to provide you with a 0% interest free plan, to help you with your payments.

If you are scared of visiting your London dentist, then first of all you must know that you are not alone and there are many others who have the same fear. In order to fight this fear you can read about the various dental procedures undertaken by dentist. In case you have a current dental condition then it is a good idea to find out more about the procedure you may have to undergo, to help you prepare. A dentist cannot force any dental treatment on you and before the procedure is carried out, the dentist will explain everything to you and will only go ahead if you allow it.

On the other hand if you do not visit the dentist, then there are many fatal dental conditions that could go unmonitored, which may gradually worsen and in severe cases cause death. Some dental conditions like oral cancer can only be treated if it is detected at an early stage. Once these condition have reached an advanced stage the chances of survival becomes very small. Dental conditions can also affect the overall health of your body and in many cases dental conditions can be an indicator of other physical ailments.

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Scared of the dentist? City of London dentists look at the causes

January 14th, 2012

For some people, the mere thought of visiting the dentist is really scary. Getting to the bottom of their fears can be complex, because of all the reasons that may contribute to them being afraid of going to the dentist.

Children and a scary dentist

Where children are concerned the anxiety can translate into tears, tantrums and nightmares during sleep. Dentists, though, have a duty of care and safeguarding to protect children and to do their best to reduce the fears of visiting a dentist.

Dental practices can have interesting toys for children to play with as a distraction. Where necessary, some children are offered sedative with parental or guardian consent. It’s important for children to enjoy visiting the dentist and not to fear dental treatments, so that this confidence grows with them into adulthood.

What’s scary about visiting the dentist?

Whether you’re a child or an adult there are a number of scary things about visiting the dentist, such as:

  • Yes, the drill!
  • Not to mention needles.
  • The yukkie chemical smells.
  • Pain, to say the least.
  • And… a major one… loss of control.

Strategies to reduce dental fears

Strategies to reduce dental fears can be used by patients themselves, parents/guardians and the dental team. For example:

  • Explaining what is going to happen during treatment and how it will feel.
  • Providing reassurance.
  • Giving control to the patient so that they can stop the dentist at any time.
  • Making the experience as pain-free as possible – physically, mentally and emotionally.
  • Playing music or multimedia visuals to relax the senses.
  • Meditation and relaxation techniques.
  • Offering counselling for dental phobia.
  • Sedation and pain-relief medication.

Using strategies to reduce anxiety helps adults come to terms with why they fear dental treatments and how to overcome these fears. Giving children, in particular, support and a sense of safety about visiting the dentist is vital for their oral health, overall physical health and development into adulthood.

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Ins and outs of sedation dentistry at City of London dentists

January 10th, 2012

Sedation dentistry involves a patient being given a sedative before dental treatment to reduce their anxiety and fear about having the dental treatment. People have dental phobia that sometimes stems from childhood and can they fear not just needles and drills but the dentist too! Sedation is a means of addressing the stress symptom.

Three Types of Dental Sedation

The three types of dental sedation that don’t involve putting a patient to sleep are:

  • Oral sedation where pills or sedation liquid is taken orally to reduce anxiety, like a tranquilliser.
  • Intravenous or IV sedation is when anti-anxiety medication is administered through a vein into the bloodstream to give a relaxed effect.
  • Inhalation sedation uses a nitrous oxide gas, also called “laughing gas”, which the patient breathes in for calming the nerves.

Who is a candidate for sedation dentistry?

People from all walks of life can request to have sedation dentistry if it is in their best interest and health to do so. The three types of sedations can have different effects. Talk with your dentist to determine if you are a suitable candidate for sedation dentistry.

Having sedation can help in the following cases:

  • If you want to reduce your awareness of the dental treatment experience.
  • Where you have fears about specific dental procedures, like fillings.
  • If you already suffer mental illness or high levels of anxiety.
  • For unpleasant dental procedures, like having a tooth removed.
  • When other relaxation techniques don’t work, such as meditation or calm music.
  • If you get the dental treatment you need with it.

Dental sedation is not for everyone

Some people take medications for illness and sedation could conflict with their prescribed drugs. A dentist may therefore recommend against dental sedation. In cases where people are refusing dental treatment and even sedation because their fears are so great, it is better to address the cause of their fears first.

Sedation treats the symptoms of dental phobia which is anxiety stemming from fears. Having therapy to overcome your fears will help relieve dental phobia symptoms. You can speak with your GP or dentist about what treatments are available to treat the causes of your dental fears.

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Don’t let dental phobia ruin your life

June 27th, 2011

It might be one of the most important health appointments you might have to go to in the foreseeable future, as the quality of your own teeth might have suffered for one reason of the other. Making regular dental appointments every one to two years should be at the top of every person’s list of priorities. However, for some people, the reason why these appointments aren’t made is not because they have forgot, but that they have a phobia of the dentist and this consequently affects a person’s ability to attend to matters of oral health problems.

The many reasons behind having a dental phobia

One of the main reasons behind a person having a dental phobia is something which happened to them during their childhood. An unforgiving dentist who did not take into consideration the fears their young patient held could well have exacerbated since then and, when they reach adulthood, they might have chosen to ignore the constant calls from their dentist surgery as their parents were no longer the ones to force them to the dentist.

A particular horrifically carried out form of treatment when a person was a child or adult could be another reason why they have a dental phobia. The time it took for them to recover from their dental operation could have left the person mentally scarred and these scars need time to heel. Or, the person might have had a straightforward dental operation, such as them needing several teeth extracted. This may be a common treatment for the dentist to perform, but for the patient it is not clear-cut and this harrowing experience could have put a mental toll on the person themselves.

The City of London Dentist understands your fears

The City of London dental professionals here are extremely understanding and they know that a trip to the dentist might take a lot of bravery for the person to do this. Contacting 02072 478057 will enable you to be seen by an understanding person who will be able to cater your dental needs around your worries.

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Find out how sedation can help you

May 17th, 2011

We walk through life thinking that the worst will surely not happen to us. With our dental hygiene, there are some which do not look after their teeth and are normally the first to receive dental treatment that could have been prevented if only the correct forms of treatment were carried out by themselves. For the rest of us who follow the daily routine of brushing your teeth twice a day and flossing three times a week you might find that you will never require dental treatment but sometimes people are just unlucky and do need dental treatment no matter how many times you stringently brush those teeth.

The variety of dental treatment is quite astonishing and it is remarkable how far dentistry has come since the days when only the rich could afford dental treatment. In contemporary times, many dental treatments are carried out after the application of sedation…

But what is it?

Used on the patient so the dentist can perform dental treatment in a calm and reassuring environment whilst they are asleep or nearly asleep, sedation is often referred to as sleep dentistry but more often than not the patient might feel drowsy during their treatment and not in deep REM.

The reasons why the patient requires sedation can be multiple. They might have a fear of needles or even the dentist itself; through sedative treatments eases the patient and reassures them that not all visits to the dentist need be traumatic.

With several forms of sedative treatments available (which include both local and general anaesthesia) not every patient receives the same type of sedation as it depends on the kind of treatment they are receiving. For example, a tooth extraction when compared with a filling would require different forms of sedation.

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What is a “Phobia” anyway?

May 16th, 2011

Nowadays, everyone seems to have a ‘phobia.’ It’s not at all uncommon to hear of phobias of snakes and spiders and people are often thrilled to discuss what it is that scares them. As the list below shows, the world of phobias seemingly knows no limits;

Coulrophobia- fear of clowns

Genuphobia- fear of knees

Rhytophobia- fear of getting wrinkles

Xanophobia- fear of the colour yellow


Unfortunately, the word ‘phobia’ is in danger of being misunderstood. Far from being a general fear and dislike of something, a phobia is defined as ‘an irrational, severe fear that leads to avoidance of the feared situation, object or activity.’

A phobia is an extreme fear so strong in nature that even just thinking about or being reminded of the feared object, activity or situation will result in a fight-or-flight anxiety response. A phobia is more than an anxious, unpleasant feeling we experience in anticipation of pain, discomfort or the unknown. A phobia is a very real, very vivid, very distressing physical reaction to a perceived threat.

Causes of dental phobia

Most people associate the word ‘irrational’ with dental phobia and yet the truth is that people with a phobia usually have a very real and very rational reason for their fear. Beneath are some of the biggest causes of dental phobia:

  • A bad dental experience (such as a painful experience or a ‘cold’ or ‘uncaring’ dentist)
  • History of abuse such as being bullied/teased and/or physically/emotionally/sexually abused
  • Learned behaviour (vicarious learning- parents/siblings with similar dental fears)
  • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder
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Common fears of people with dental phobia

May 8th, 2011

Dental phobia is an umbrella term and encompasses a vast range of fears associated with the dentist and dental procedures. Below are some of the common fears experienced by people with dental phobia:

1. Loss of control. People with dental phobia may have a fear of being out of control. The ‘turtle on its back’ position assumed in the dentist’s chair can leave people feeling defenceless, vulnerable and exposed. Victims of abuse such as bullying and rape may transfer feelings of powerlessness to the dentist’s chair.

2. Embarrassment. Some people with dental phobia are so embarrassed and ashamed of their teeth that the idea of a dentist/hygienist/pretty dental assistant laughing at or mocking their teeth leaves them severely distressed. Human beings are social animals and need positive social evaluation.

3. Needles. A fear of needles can be traced back to a genetic survival instinct and the impulse to avoid harmful objects such as snakes, lightening and, of course, needles.

4. Smell. The notorious smell of the dentist can result in a primal fight-or-flight response in some people with dental phobia. The antiseptic ‘Eugenol,’ derived from clove oil, is responsible for the strong smell found in most dentists and is actually a healing agent.

5. Sights. The sight of the sterile whitewashed walls, the dentist chair and face mask are all powerful visual reminders of real or imagined fear.

6. Pain. Some people are absolutely terrified at the prospect of experiencing pain at the hands of their dentist. This can result from a previous painful dental experience or another painful and/or traumatic experience.

7. Crying/making a fool of yourself. The fear of crying and/or breaking down in fear is enough to completely deter people from attending their dental appointments.

8. Gagging/vomiting. Emetophobia (fear of vomiting) and gagging can also create extreme fear of dental situations.

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Modern Day Dental Technology and Treatment

April 14th, 2011

We’ve come a long way from the days when dentistry was still in its infancy, where the closest many people got to a real dentist would have been a back street dentist, whose only proof of qualification was his word. But now dental work is widely cosmetic as well as simply practical.

Still, the question begs, what technology and treatments are out there? The sheer amount of available options can sometimes be daunting, especially if it’s your first foray into dental cosmetics, purely because of the variety of different work that can be done.

Leaps in technology

Changes and improvements don’t need to only be in the dental room for there to be a noticeable difference in how dental work is carried out. Things we all take for granted in everyday life, such as the internet and digital photography, have become a great boon for dentists, allowing the contact waiting time with dental labs to be greatly shortened.

Improvements have also been made to equipment and, because of these changes, the technique and treatment used has changed, making cosmetic dentistry more appealing and accessible to the everyday patient.  These advances have largely removed the chance and risk of pain from many procedures. The likes of nitrous oxide or “happy gas” can greatly reduce the nerves of any fretful patients.

New treatments

While many dental cosmetic treatments are not exactly new, the procedure and technology involved in them are being improved and changed every day.

Something as simple as braces, which just a few years ago were the only real option for anyone with crooked teeth, now have new and improved alternatives such as Invisalign. This treatment is by far the most popular option and is barely visible once it is implemented into the mouth; it works in a similar way to conventional brace but is not fixed and changed every two weeks and is available in a range of plans, spanning from short term, minimal work, to invisalign braces specifically designed for teenagers.

Cosmetic dentistry is moving forward with the modern world and there is very little reason or excuse for anyone who has been thinking of taking this route to seriously consider embarking on treatment at the least.

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Dental phobia treatment at your London dentist

February 7th, 2011

Let’s face it – visiting the dentist can be a very traumatic experience.

Some of us are very fortunate in that we have no problems with our teeth and require only a visit every year or so. However, there are some who require frequent visits to the dentist which can lead to various forms of treatment which might leave them in agonising pain. There are some who accept this as a lesser form of two evils and that they must endure this pain to have that particular level of dental hygiene which will make them confident and feel good about themselves. However, some might not view dental treatment in this rosy light.

Whatever the reason is, a surprisingly vast amount of people have a deathly fear of visiting the dentist. It is estimated that as many as 9% to 15% of the USA population, which currently stands at 311 million, have this phobia. No matter what their predicament is, they will not visit their dentist and will endure any pain that comes their way. For those who are suffering from this, there are ways forward for them.

No matter what your opinion is, a qualified dentist is there to help, not hinder. They do not want to harm you or your teeth. After all, they spent several years studying the subject and they do not set up a practice so that they can leave their patients in agony. By talking through your fears with your dentist will allow for the whole experience to be a much more enjoyable one. By panicking throughout, your heart rate will increase due to the severe intake of breath. Controlling your breathing is a very useful idea, as it will allow for the body to remain calm and it will too increase the success rate of your visit.

If you are not registered with a dentist and are currently looking for a new dentist, by carefully choosing the right person will enable you to fulfil your own needs as you will know exactly what to expect. Knowing your surroundings will enable you to be more calm and relaxed about the whole situation.

Looking for a London dentist? City of London dentists are here to help.

Whether it’s a fear of needles or the pain that you will endure at the hands of your dentist, there are ways forward for you and the quality of your dental health.

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Overcome dental phobia with Liverpool Street London dentists

December 24th, 2010

Liverpool Street London dentists signal end to dental phobia with new approaches to dentistry

The first step towards keeping a healthy mouth is to make sure you brush and floss at least twice a day.  This helps ensure that plaque is not allowed to build up and attack the enamel which protects your teeth.  But alongside this it is very important that you visit your dentist every six months to have your mouth examined by an expert.  This is so that any potential conditions can be stopped in their tracks before they develop into something worse.

However, many people feel anxious about visiting their dentist all.  This is a condition that is often known as dental phobia and there are a number of causes for it.  Some people are afraid of going to the dentist because of a fear of needles, for example.  Such anxieties might be rooted in childhood and can be difficult to overcome.  But it is worth bearing in mind that, should you require an injection, pain free gels are now commonplace to make injections far less uncomfortable.

If you have not visited the dentist in a number of years you might feel embarrassed about the state that your teeth are in.  You should remember though that dentists have seen it all.  They are trained to help you with any oral issues you might have and really just want to help you out.

If you have experienced a dentist who is not sympathetic to your problems that can put you off visiting again too.  The feeling that you are not being listened to can be very frustrating and mean that you are loathed to return to the same dental practice.  In such a case you ought to seek out a different dentist as communication is the cornerstone of a good relationship.

Looking for a cosmetic dentist? City of London dentists are here to help

Contact your Liverpool Street London dentist today if you feel anxious about dental appointments.  You’ll find that modern dentists are more concerned than ever about relaxing their patients.

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