Hersham Dental Practice :: Do You Feel Nervous About Dentistry?


	You will not be alone if you are anxious about dentistry, so please don't be embarrassed to tell us - there is a lot we can do to help. People who are nervous often leave coming to the dentist until they have pain. If you didn't put oil in your car until it started making a nasty knocking noise you know you'd be asking for more trouble and expense than if you'd checked it regularly. Funnily enough coming regularly is also a known way of reducing anxiety. The technical term for this is 'habituation' meaning that you get so used to the people and surroundings and procedures that your mind and body no longer register it as an alarming situation. Protective If you have had a bad time at the dentist in the past, perhaps as a child, you may dread every visit, even though your intelligence tells you "it's silly" to react like that now. It helps to know that there is a physiological process going on here. Your mind works to protect you from danger by registering situations that have been frightening or painful. It stores up all the memories of sounds, sights and smells to alert you in the future. When any of these sensations triggers the memories, your defence mechanisms leap into action. It can just be the smell of the surgery or the sound, or even the thought of the sound, of the drill that makes you feel bad. That feeling is your system getting ready for "fight or flight" as it's called. It changes your breathing and muscles, even your eyesight and makes you feel 'het up'. Mind and body Mind and body are very closely linked of course and you can use that fact to work the system in reverse. Use muscle relaxation techniques to counter the tension. Use a 'waking dream' technique where you imagine yourself in a beautiful garden or tranquil countryside, to take your conscious mind to somewhere nice and relaxing. Make a list of all those triggers that remind you of the past situation. Write then on a piece of paper, being as specific as you can. Then screw up that paper and dump it in the bin. Make a grown-up conscious decision that you're not going to carry that burden around for the rest of your life. Feel confident After your first appointment write yourself a list of all the new and positive things you can associate with the new experience e.g. “I’m in control of my own choice of health care now.” Regular visits mean you can start to feel confident that not much can have gone wrong since your last visit and there should be nothing or little to do. We can often advise at an early stage to help prevent teeth and gums deteriorating. And less to do means less to pay! The application of a fruit-flavoured anaesthetic ointment onto the gum prior to an injection, is one specific technique we use. Pleasant surroundings and the dental team's friendly and sympathetic expertise will help you to relax. Ask for a copy of our special ‘Don't be afraid leaflet’. Our ‘in-flight’ entertainment for longer visits is a new attraction! Dozing in the chair Some of our most nervous patients are now so relaxed they go to sleep in the chair! You may not believe it today, but you too could be like them!