How do you feel when you have a dental visit planned?
Here Dr Katalin Rozsavari from Castle Dental in Lincoln explains that dental anxiety can make patients avoid check-ups or treatment, even when they know their teeth need care. It recommends telling the dentist about any fears, choosing an empathetic dentist, asking about numbing gel before injections, using earphones to block out drill sounds, practising calm breathing and considering sedation options for more severe anxiety.
Happy that you are going to get your teeth looked after, or nervous about the dentist, unsure of what will happen, and dreading any treatment? You know that looking after your teeth is vital and that check-ups are a must-do, but somehow, just the thought of a needle or drill makes you unduly anxious.
The thing to do is tell your dentist how you feel.
Don’t try to hide it, or you may come out of the dental clinic shaking and highly anxious. Choose a dentist like Castle Dental who is empathic and who will take your fears seriously. Ask family and friends who they would recommend. If your dentist is part of a group practice, then be sure to book treatment with the dentist you feel most at ease with. If they don’t make you feel comfortable and at ease from your first meeting, it is unlikely that they are the right ones for you.
Picking a random dentist in Lincolnshire whom you don’t know and hoping it will be OK is not a good idea, as a negative experience will simply add to your dental anxiety.
How to overcome dental anxiety
Dental patients worry about so many things: having a needle in their gum, having teeth drilled, the dentist being so close to them or the pain that might ensue. Let’s take a look at some tips on how you can help yourself to deal with dental anxiety and dentist nerves.
1. Needles – having a needle in your arm is one thing, but inserted into your gum is another. If your fear is making you uncomfortable, tell your dentist, and he can apply a numbing gel to the gum before the injection. The result? A pain-free injection.
2. Dentist’s drill – just hearing the sound of the drill from the waiting room can make your tummy turn somersaults. Your mind may start to race, envisaging all types of horror stories. But the truth is, the drill is never used until the area to be treated has been fully numbed. Your dentist will make absolutely sure that you won’t feel any pain. You may even want to take earphones with you; tell the dentist you will pop them in before he starts work, and you won’t hear a thing.
Instead, you can listen to music of your choice and close your eyes to relax.
3. Pain – a toothache can be unbearable, but some of us would rather suffer it than put ourselves in the dentist’s chair. This is because we fear the pain that we may experience. Even if we have never had a problem at the dentist’s before, we think that this could be the first time. However, it’s not likely to happen due to the powerful anaesthetics and numbing gels now available. You will feel much better if you can relax your muscles, breathe gently, and trust your dentist. If you are having a tooth filled or removed, imagine the pain and discomfort being taken away, leaving you in a much better place.
4. Sedation – always remember that only individual teeth and gums are numbed. The area around may feel swollen and odd, but you will not lose function. Fears that you may not be able to swallow or will suffocate do not have any grounding in fact. Remember this, and your fears will dissipate. For patients who are very frightened, there are other sedation options available like IV sedation and diazepam (valium).
5. Fear of the dentist being so close – don’t feel uncomfortable about being so close to your dentist or him seeing your teeth in less than perfect condition. As a skilled medical professional, this is his job and what he is used to. The secret is to choose a dentist who is caring and who understands your fears. It’s also a good idea to take a companion with you who can sit in the room whilst your treatment is being applied.
Good dentists will inform you about the type of discomfort you will feel and ensure you always have a way to communicate, such as raising your hand.
More on how to rid yourself of dental anxiety
- NHS inform: Coping with a fear of the dentist
Explains how nervous patients can speak to their dentist, use numbing gel before injections and receive modern dental treatment with less discomfort. - General Dental Council: Tooth whitening and illegal practice
UK regulator guidance explaining that tooth whitening should only be provided after assessment by a registered dentist or on a dentist’s prescription. - Clock Dental: How to overcome dental anxiety
UK dentist article offering practical tips for nervous patients, including communication, treatment planning and sedation options. - Ascent Dental Care: Nervous patients and sedation dentistry
UK dental practice page explaining how IV sedation can support anxious patients during dental treatment. - Queensway Dental: Conscious sedation for nervous dental patients
UK dental practice guidance on conscious sedation for patients with strong dental anxiety, needle fears, gag reflexes or previous traumatic dental experiences.
