Scared of the Dentist? How we can Help

09 November 2023

Scared of the Dentist? How we can Help

Are you scared of the dentist? Don’t let your nerves effect your oral hygiene. If you miss appointments because you are scared of the dentist, your dental problems will get worse. This will lead to more invasive treatments in the future. Don’t be scared of the dentist any longer! At Cheadle Hulme Dental & Cosmetics we have many ways to help put our patients at ease, and set that dental anxiety at bay!

We Prepare Patients who are Scared of the Dentist for Their Appointment With us

We always encourage our patients to talk to us about their anxiety and worries, and welcome prospective patients to visit the practice beforehand to get a feel for the dental surgery. We also welcome patients to come in for a coffee and meet with a smile advisor free of charge so they get a feel for the practice, meet the team and see how they feel before going ahead with any treatment – they can also meet with the clinician and talk to them about the procedure, or any worries they may have without sitting in chair on this visit. If the patient doesn’t feel comfortable coming into the practice they can watch our 3D tour or drone footage to familiarise themselves with the practice and the layout so that they don’t feel as overwhelmed when they come to see us.

We also have a lot of informational videos about how we help patients who are scared of the dentist on our social media, and we can also send links to these videos for patients to watch before coming to see us. This also gives the prospective patients advice about why they shouldn’t let a fear of the dentist prevent them from attending dental appointments.

How We Welcome Patients who are Scared of the Dentist

Our primary goal first and foremost is to make all of our patients feel welcome, calm and relaxed as soon as they walk through the door. Therefore we have made our practice wonderfully welcoming. Our staff will always greet patients with a smile. We also offer hot and cold drinks and have a wealth of literature available for our patients to browse while they are waiting. All of this helps an anxious patient to take their mind off thinking about what will be happening next. If patients are so anxious they don’t like to wait in the waiting area then they can request to be brought straight through to the surgery, or our relaxation area. Whatever the request to help ease the anxiety we fulfil it, and ensure that none of our patients have any bad experiences with us. The practice is also very relaxing and we have created a very calming environment for example, by installing LED skylights in every room and using warm glow ambient lighting. The patient lounge is also very relaxing with plenty of seating so the patients feel as comfortable as possible prior to their treatment. We are a completely modern practice that tries really hard to eliminate the smells and stigma attached to traditional dental practices, which is where a lot of the anxiety comes from.

How we put Patients who are Scared of the Dentist at Ease During Their Treatment

We encourage our patients to let us know straight away if they are nervous about their procedure, and we will do whatever we can help make the patient feel relaxed. We can play soothing, relaxing music to help put our patients at ease whilst they are receiving treatment, or they can pick whatever music they like that makes them feel better. We also have TV screens and skylights on the ceiling above the chair so our patients can watch something of their choice, including apps such as Netflix and Amazon Prime, to take their minds off the procedure. This isn’t commonplace in other practices but we feel it’s really important in helping patients to relax. The skylights above are also designed to help patients feel relaxed. We will also talk to our patients every step of the way, if that helps, to try and take their mind off their surgery, and inform them in detail about everything that is happening. We also let our patients take as many breaks as possible during their treatments. They just need to raise their hand to let us know if they need a break.

Technology we Use to Reduce Pain During Treatment

• We use a Topical Anaesthesia gel to numb the area before an injection which helps patients to relax and feel more comfortable about facing a needle.
• We offer the dental wand upon request. We make nervous patients fully aware of this option and encourage them to allow us to use it. Our information videos from slide 3 also highlight this to prospective patients.
• We can use air abrasion upon request (and where possible) to help patients who don’t like the sound of the drill.
• We have 1 seditionist who is also an oral surgeon that works regularly with us and do approximately 6 sedations per month. Some of our nurses are also trained to nurse for a sedation case.  Dental sedation is a fantastic way in which we can help patients who are scared of the dentist.