Nervous Patients
- Are you anxious about visiting the dentist?
- Do you put off visiting the dentist because you are worried or simply hate the whole process?
- Is there a particular aspect of a dental appointment that you really cannot stand?
- Is there a particular treatment planned that you feel will be a real challenge?
For more information about Sedation and NuCalm please click here.
An offer to help!
Many people can be anxious when it comes to visiting the dentist. Studies show that up to 45% of adults in the UK admit that fear is the reason why they do not see their dentist regularly, and it is estimated that 15% of them are severely anxious (phobic).
It can be difficult admitting these concerns. Some people may not understand and may even mock phobias. They simply cannot imagine just how much some people can be affected by anxiety when it comes to dentistry. They don’t realise that it can lead to severe worry, sleeplessness and sometimes stronger physical reactions, such as feeling faint or nauseous.
But avoiding dental care can lead to chronic pain or discomfort, bad breath, and simply being too ashamed to smile, which can seriously affect your quality of life.
If you, or someone you know, is anxious about dentistry then we would like to help!
Evesham Dental Health Team has established an excellent reputation for helping nervous patients rebuild their confidence, and even to enjoy visiting our practice – something that before would have seemed impossible.
We take pride in our gentle and caring approach and will do our utmost to help you feel relaxed and at ease. Helping to boost your dental confidence makes our work worthwhile and often our anxious patients become our biggest fans!
In time, fears are conquered and regular preventive dental care is all that is required to maintain a healthy smile instead of repeatedly facing challenging emergency treatments.
How We Can Help
We realise that making the first approach to a dental practice is a big step for anxious patients. Our reception team provides all our patients with a warm and friendly welcome. They can assist you with information and reassurance, and when you are ready, will book an appointment for you. You are always very welcome to bring a friend or relative with you.
We like to devote the first visit to listening to your needs and discovering how we can help. Talking away from a clinical area is much less daunting, and so we set aside an hour to chat with you in our comfortable and friendly consultation room.
Our dental health nurse and dentist will take time to understand your particular concerns, and discuss with you the best way forward, offering you choices for any treatment that may be required.
The atmosphere and kindness within the practice helps build your confidence. We’ll book further appointments starting with any simpler treatments first and take one step at a time. Modern techniques and a sympathetic way will ensure each visit is better than expected. We are grateful that patients with similar challenges have provided compliments and reassurance in our patients’ comment book for those that follow.
“It’s the little things that help make your visits pleasant. We enjoy greeting our guests.”
Before your appointment we’ll frequently offer you a cup of tea or coffee. You may prefer to chat or sit quietly reading a magazine. The decor, smell and sounds are more typical of a family home than a dental practice. During treatment a choice of music is offered or we can play your own. If you want high volume we have cordless earphones. A picture board or film playing on a chairside screen to entertain your thoughts whilst climate control, aromatherapy and a snugly blanket help you recline comfortably – no wonder patients occasionally snooze!
Many people, anxious or not, dislike having injections and so we work hard at making these as painless and effective as possible.
We want you to be in control, and ask you to raise your hand whenever you wish to rest. By describing what to expect before each stage there are no surprises and it’s usually best not to hurry. From experience, trust will quickly build between us and your fears will lessen.
How you can help
There are various steps you can take to make a dental visit easier on you. The most important one is to keep an open mind. However unlikely you think it is, we can help you and will take good care of you if you let us.
Make sure we know that you are anxious so we can treat you accordingly, and so we can make allowances for any effect it has on your personality – even the nicest people can appear rude or aggressive when they are worried!
Book your appointments for a time of day when you feel at your best and do not have any other commitments to worry about. Allow plenty of time to travel to us and back home again so you arrive in a relaxed state of mind – arriving in a rush or leaving little time after the appointment will only make you feel more anxious.
Have a light meal or snack before visiting – anxiety can lower your blood sugar levels, making you feel faint. Bring a friend or relative with you for extra reassurance.
Try to distract yourself during treatment. Set yourself a puzzle, plan your next holiday or remember your last one – it doesn’t have to be anything too complicated, just something that will stop you from thinking too deeply about dentistry.
Control your breathing too – take long deep breaths through your nose. This will help you relax, and suppress the need to constantly swallow during treatment.
Finally, congratulate yourself afterwards, and maybe even give yourself a small treat such as a new magazine, an hour in the garden or a pint at the pub– whatever makes you feel good.
Sedation
We appreciate that sometimes, despite dentistry being more comfortable than ever before, you may still feel you need an extra helping hand to get through an appointment or procedure. That’s fine.
For more information about Sedation please click here.
NuCalm
Nucalm is a technique using natural processes to relax your body, bringing you to a state of calm. It is ideal for you if you are generally anxious about visiting the dentist, or if there is a particular treatment you feel will be a real challenge and you would like help to cope with it more easily.
For more information about NuCalm please click here.
Referrals
Dental and medical professionals who wish to make a referral to us please click on the link below
Refer to us
