Tuesday 7 June 2016

Coping With The Fear Of The Dentist

I have a real genuine fear of the dentist so much so I haven't been in 5 years but today is T (teeth) day I have so much trouble in the past right from childhood with a mad old dentist that just seemed to be around forever . I come from a long line of false teeth owners starting with my Nan and I remember her false teeth looking a the from a class in her bathroom ) not quite sure if false teeth can look at you )



One in 4 of us has a fear of the dentist and being afraid of the dentist means different thing to different people to be honest I am not sure where mine came from but I suspect it might of been the mad old dentist from my childhood who resembled a character from the Yellow submarine. Right now I can hear the old dentist drills whizzing in my ears and I feel like doing a Forest Gump and just running for the hills and not coming back.


The good news is that there are more and more dentists that understand the pain of this ( please excuse the pun but humour helps me cope in stressful situations )

I did tried to search for a dentist before but have bottled it for such reasons as I didn't like the sound of the receptionists or if my husband like his dentist then I was not bound to like what he likes ( pie in the sky excuses maybe?!)

But thanks to various work colleagues who have suggested a certain dentist then I took the plunge and rand the dentist moths ago and made an appointment ( a huge step forward for me ) and I like the sound of the receptionist too !


And with dentists understanding the needs of patients fears there is a lot that they can do stress free with gentleness and gentleness.


Dealing with the fear 



  • Dentists are more bearable nowadays ( I know it sounds rather like a oxymoron )
  • Make an appointment that you'll stick to preferably early morning * this isn't an option for me as I don't drive so mine is at 5.05 on the other side of town and will encounter heavy traffic ( so I Do need to stick to it otherwise I won't be popular!
  • The environment of dentists now seem to be very luxurious and relaxing resembling a coffee shop etc
  • Equipment is out of sight and have music playing nowadays.
  • The first appointment will be just a check up so don't worry they'll launch into treatment straight away.
  • Take a friend with you  ( I know my friend did offer and it gives me courage just knowing that ) 
  • agree a signal with you dentist so they can stop if you don't feel comfortable .
  • Take some music and headphones with you .

There are all sorts of dental treatment available on the NHS for those who have fear just ask a dentist or your local NHS.



7 comments:

  1. I HATE the dentist with a passion, but as soon as I had children I pushed my massive phobia of them to the side and went with the boys so that they could see there was no reason to fear the Dentist. I guess my boys were my motivation

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  2. I'm so glad I'm not alone on this. I haven't been to a Dentist since I was 16 years old as I'm terrified. I always had a whole team of them when I was young because of my Cleft palet - it was always so scary and I've not been able to bring myself to see anyone since. I need so much work doing but I am so scared to go. I need to sort myself out but it's juts so scary and hard - I need your courage x

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    Replies
    1. It was scary but I found a great dentist who was with me every step of the way . And we're approaching my dental care in a very planned approach. The dentist will refer me on as and when needed in my treatment.

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  3. Thankfully I have never had an a real issue with the dentist. I do recall going to the hospital alone when I was 18 as my family where on holiday and tears trickled down my cheek as I had my wisdom teeth removed!. It was all fine though. Mich x

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  4. I hate the dentist as well die to childhood trauma and have made sure that my dd's don;t suffer like I did and thankfully they actually look forward to going but unlike me that have had no fillings so far. I tend to go every 8-10 years and am just trying to get the courage to go again. I always go for a private dentist as they seem to have more time to deal with me comfortably than the quick in out NHS ones and as I don't go very often I don't mind paying!

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  5. I'm not a fan either but I try for the kids sake as I don't want them to be scared x

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  6. I'm glad I'm not the only one who hates the dentist. I never trusted my child hood dentist. I just had a hunch that he was evil. When my treatment for braces went wrong leaving my teeth in a much worse state it all went down hill from there. I hope one day I can get adult braces and get back on good terms with dentists but I have massive trust issues now!

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