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Posts Tagged ‘Dental phobia’

Overcome dental phobia with relaxation techniques from City of London dentist

Thursday, June 10th, 2010

Being afraid of the dentist can be a serious hindrance to the health of your mouth. It can prevent you from receiving much needed dental treatment that could prevent a series of nasty dental complications that are both painful and costly. Of course, the great irony is that in most cases, avoiding the dentist due to a phobia only makes it far more likely that you are going to have to see one at some stage, or risk losing all your teeth.

Many people are afraid of the dentist to some extent but most people are able to overcome these fears and receive the treatment they need. But in some cases a person’s fear is so great that they are almost completely unable to visit the dentist. They start shaking, sweating and even feeling faint at the merest thought that they might have to set foot in a dental surgery.

However, most of these dental phobias are born out of incidents and experiences from childhood when dental surgeries were much different places than they are now. Modern surgeries are far less intimidating than they once were, and the same can be said of the dentists themselves. Modern dentists are trained to be more understanding about the fears and anxieties of their patients and are willing to talk to you at length before any kind of treatment. This verbal run through of what is going to happen is often enough to assuage any fears.

Failing that, there are a number of relaxation techniques that a City of London dentist could help you to learn to relax before an appointment. There is also the possibility of other relaxation techniques such as aromatherapy, which has been proven to calm nerves before an appointment.

Confront dental phobia with help from City of London dentist

Friday, April 9th, 2010

A huge number of people in the UK are afraid of visiting their dentist. Dental phobia is a very common fear but unlike a fear of heights or spiders, being afraid of your dentist may actually be very detrimental to your health.

Most dental phobias are caused by an unpleasant experience in the past or a fear of lack of control while in the dentist’s chair. However, it is important to realise that dentistry has changed a lot since many people last went for a check up. Dentist surgeries are more like health spas now than the old-style hospital-like surgeries. Many dental techniques have also changed beyond recognition, with a number of new tools being used to limit the amount of discomfort felt by patients.

Most importantly, City of London dentists themselves are now more aware and better equipped to deal with nervous patients. Just talking through your treatment before hand with a friendly dentist can go a long way to alleviating the fear of the unknown. Dentists also have many other methods to help you relax before an appointment. This may involve the use of aromatherapy such as lavender oil, which has been proven to calm nerves in dental surgeries. Other dentists offer relaxation techniques and breathing exercises to nervous patients to help them relax.

However severe your phobia, there is a way to overcome them and receive the dental treatment that your teeth need. Try talking to a City of London dentist and explain your fears, you might find this is all it takes to confront your phobia head on.

Keep your children’s teeth healthy at City of London dentist

Monday, February 8th, 2010

Keeping your children’s teeth clean and healthy is very important for ensuring they have a life free of dental problems. Infant tooth decay is on the increase as more and more underdeveloped teeth are being exposed to sugary drinks and sweets, causing dental health problems that can last a lifetime.

There are several easy ways to ensure your child’s teeth are as healthy as possible. Firstly, it is very important to ensure that they learn the importance of cleaning teeth properly everyday. Good habits learnt when young can carry on throughout their life and give them a better chance of avoiding decay and gum disease. Teach your child how to brush and floss correctly, making the activity fun and never forcing them. Making your child resent brushing their teeth can lead to problems in the future. Flossing can also start at an early age, which again can give them an advantage later in life.

Avoid giving your child sugary drinks and sweets. Fresh fruit is far better for the teeth than sugary juice and sweets which can cause decay. Teach your child to drink from a cup early and try to wean the off the dummy as early as possible as this can cause dental problems. It is also a good idea to discourage thumb sucking as this can lead to alignment problems later in life.

Finally, always make sure your child has regular check ups with a City of London dentist. Encouraging your child and making sure they are not afraid of the dentist will lessen the chances of any dental phobia causing damage later in life.

Overcome dental phobia with relaxation tips from City of London dentist

Sunday, December 13th, 2009

A dental phobia is a severe fear of the dentist that is characterised by extreme emotional responses at even the prospect of going to the dentist. Technically a phobia is defined as an “irrational severe fear that leads you to avoid the subject completely”. Exposure to the specific stimulus, in this case the dentist’s surgery, provokes an immediate anxious response which in its severest form takes the form of a panic attack. This can have serious effects on the individual’s life and can certainly prevent them receiving the dental treatment that they need.

Fear of the dentist is very common, with many people experiencing some kind of anxious response when in the surgery. However, there are several different categories of severity that determine the fear ranging from mild fear to anxiety to phobia. For patients with dental phobia even a regular check up can be an extremely traumatic experience.

There are several common causes of dental phobia with a previous bad experience being the most notable. A painful procedure or particularly unsympathetic dentist (they are out there!) can put a patient off the dentist for life. Other common causes are a fear of lack of control, oral intrusion or transferred fear (this is when an anxious patient convinces a child that the dentist is something to be feared even though the child has had no previous bad experience).

There are ways to overcome dental phobia, which usually involve confronting your fear with the aid of various relaxation techniques and a greater degree of information about the procedures. City of London dentists recommend that nervous patients speak to their dentist who will explain the exact nature of the procedure. It is most important to remember that you are not alone and have no reason to feel embarrassed.

London dentist uses hypnosis to treat dental phobia

Friday, November 6th, 2009

Over 90 per cent of Brits admit to having some kind of fear of the dentist. There is something about the iconic image of the dentist and the drill that causes real fear in people. The reality today of course is slightly different. With the advances in dental technology over the last twenty years, dental surgeries are more like health spas than hospitals and many treatments are now relatively painless.

This is little consolation to many patients who still have a very real fear of the dentist. Many of their fears are rooted deep in previous traumatic experiences at the dentist, often during childhood. For most patients, it is possible to overcome the fear because they realise the health of their teeth is more important than the fear. This kind of fear is commonly known as dental anxiety. However. for a small number of patients the fear is too great to even contemplate a visit to the dentist. This more severe aversion is known as a dental phobia.

Dental phobics are unable to rationalise the need for dental treatment against their fear. The irony of this is of course that by prolonging dental treatment they often end up needing the very treatment they fear the most. If they had visited the dentist in the first place they may have been able to avoid future dental problems. This then is the aim of treating dental phobias. Dentists are specially trained to deal with anxious patients and many find that just talking through their fears with the dentist is enough to allay them. There is also the option to use self-hypnosis techniques which can help patients overcome their fear by putting them into a trance like state.

Recent studies have also find that by using aromatherapy patients are able to reduce their levels of anxiety. Lavender oil was found to be especially useful in reducing anxiety in patients before treatment.

In coming to terms with any phobia the first and most important step is to confront it. Just by talking with a London dentist you may realise that there is actually little to fear. Remember, the dentist is trained to help you deal with our anxieties and is in your interest to have your teeth seen to before any problems have time to develop.

London dentist calms patient with dental phobia

Tuesday, October 6th, 2009

Fear of the dentist is one of our most common fears. A recent study in the UK found that over 90 per cent of people admit to a fear of paying a visit to the dentist’s chair. For the most part, that fear is a mild and conquerable. This is known as dental anxiety. Most people are able to rationalise that fear against the necessity to have healthy teeth and will visit the dentist.

For others though, the fear is more severe and acts as a completely prohibitive factor in any visit to the dentist. This more serious fear is known as dental phobia and is not so easily overcome. Patients who suffer from dental phobia are likely to put their oral health behind their fears. This often results in dental problems, which in turn increase the need for them to see a dentist. This becomes a vicious circle that causes a great deal of anxiety and pain.

Dental phobia is caused by a number of factors, which are often similar for many people. One of the most common causes is a previous unpleasant experience at the dentists, possibly during childhood. A painful experience or particularly unfriendly dentist can cause a lifetime of anxiety and oral problems. Many other phobics talk of a fear due to lack of control or having instruments placed in their mouth. One of the other major causes of dental phobia is the transferred phobia, when a parent transfers their fear of the dentist to their child.

Today, there is no real reason for patients to fear the dentist. Dentistry has come along way since many patients’ childhoods. Technological advances have reduced the amount of pain involved in many procedures and the use of high intensity lasers has sped up recovery times.

There are also a number of things patients with dental phobia can do to help them relax. Using lavender oil before treatment has been shown to reduce anxiety and many surgeries offer hypno-therapy before treatment. Often it helps just to explain your fears to the dentist who will certainly be able to help. London dentists are experienced in dealing with anxious patients and will be able to help calm your anxieties. Whatever it takes, it is vital that you do not ignore your dental health and make an appointment. It could save years of further complications in the future.

London dentist eases fears with hypnosis

Monday, September 21st, 2009

In a recent study it was found that 93 per cent of the British public are afraid of going to the dentist. Most people’s fears stemmed from unpleasant or frightening experiences they had had at dentists in the past. For others, it was the lack of control and for many younger people the fear had merely been transferred from their parents.

This fear can be broadly broken down into two categories. The first is dental anxiety. This is a milder, although none-less real fear of visiting the dentist. For most people with dental anxiety they are able to realize that although they may not like it, visiting the dentist is in their best interests. For others who suffered form the more serious dental phobia, a visit to the dentist is more or less out of the question. Their fears are so substantial that they are willing to sacrifice dental health and associated health problems to avoid it. There are even stories about people who have starved to death because of dental problems they were unable to have treated because of fear.

Obviously for most people the fear does not take them to those extremes, but with nearly 10 per cent of the population suffering from dental phobia it is a serious concern.

One answer is to try hypnosis or self-hypnosis. Being in a light hypnotic trance is very successful at allaying people’s fears. For most people it is entirely possible to put yourself into a trancelike state which would ease those anxious visits to the dentists. Many London dentists are open to receiving hypnotized patients and will even aid in the trance process. It is a relatively easy process that almost anyone can do. Ask your dentist today and you can conquer your fears.

For better life everybody should fight against dental phobia

Saturday, January 24th, 2009

In Greek phobia mean simply fear. Actually dental phobia doesn’t mean the fear of teeth but it means fear of dental treatment. All around the world nature of mankind is same and their response about dental treatment is same also. Experienced people are guessed that nearly 75% US adult’s experiences mild or severe dental fear. Nearly 10% US adults are fearful about dental treatment and due to this they are avoided dental care in all cost. In London the picture is nearly same.
Question is weather dental phobia is good for health? Everybody knows the answer is big no. In spite of that some people are not going to the doctor for taking a proper treatment due to excessive and unreasonable fear about dentist and dental treatment. But it may cause serious problem to him or her. Some disease like tooth decay and gum disease never get better without treatment. Without consulting with a dentist it’s hard to know about this type of dental disease until it’s too late and this could be result up to teeth taken out. So, dental phobia can be the cause of anyone’s serious damage.
Generally it’s believed that the sound of dentist drill makes everyone cringe and needles make sacred and nervous mostly all. But through investigation it has been known that bad experiences, a history of sexual abused in childhood, uncaring dentist, humiliation, vicarious learning, preparedness and post-traumatic stress is also reasons of dental phobia.
The impact of dental phobia in a person’s life is maybe enormous. Dental problem can be very painful and someone can mistake by taking lots of painkillers rather than going to the dentist. Excessive painkillers may cause a fatal side-effect anytime. Not only this, dental phobia may lead to anxiety and depression which damage an individuals working and personal life.
So its better that everybody should fight against dental phobia for better life. Not only the people of London but people of everywhere should overcome the fear of dentist and dental treatment by gathering accurate information and knowledge. TV and Newspaper can play an enormous role in this fight to win against dental phobia.

London Dentists Help With Dental Phobia

Tuesday, November 11th, 2008

Dental phobia is very common, and is more prevalent in males than females. These patients avoid the dentist, usually only seeking dental help when in pain or not at all. These patients place undue stress on themselves and the dental team. You should visit your London dentist for help with your oral health, as the dentist has help for you with your dental phobias. Many new and advanced technologies are now offered by the London Dental Clinic to help to alleviate your fears and stress while at the dentist. Newer dental offices do not have the same chemical smells that they had in the past, and some even use aroma therapy to relax you while you are seated in the reception area. Patients that have waited too long to visit the dentist may be embarrassed about their oral health, frightened of the drill, noises, explorer and other sharp instruments, and worried about gagging. These are many reasons why people stay away from the dentist.
There are also many things you can do to help yourself, such as being honest with your London dentist and staff about your fears. They have different things that can be done to help you have a painless and fearless dental visit. At the London Dental Clinic the dentists and staff are sympathetic to your needs as a person. Once the dentist and staff know about your situation, they will review with you what they can offer you to make your dental visit a good one. Your London dentist will use distraction and relaxation techniques, and if needed, will use nitrous oxide and oral sedation techniques. The dentist can place you in different states of sedation depending upon how fearful you are of the dentist and procedures. So don’t stay away from your dentist, but communicate and let them know you have a dental phobia; they can help!

Dental Sedation Offered in London Dental Clinic

Sunday, October 26th, 2008

Dental sedation in London is used when a patient is a dental phobic, exhibiting severe anxiety prior to and during their dental appointment. The goal of the London dental clinic is to make a patient’s visit anxiety and stress free. Patients don’t visit the dentist until it is too late, and sometimes not at all, with men being more fearful than women. Dental sedation can help these patients, and also decrease the number of visits necessary to complete dental procedures. It can be used for almost any dental treatment.
Dental sedation uses several different medications the affect the central nervous system. These are commonly referred to as tranquilizers and anxiolytics, and can be given to the patient by various means. Dental sedation does not put you to sleep completely the way general anaesthesia does. Instead, it makes you feel very sleepy while you are being sedated. Any patient who is fearful of needles or the dental experience is a candidate for dental sedation. Also, other people who have medical conditions such as Cerebral Palsy or Parkinson’s disease could benefit from dental sedation. There are several different ways to administer dental sedation including: Oral sedation; inhalation sedation; intravenous sedation, and even intramuscular sedation. It is important to be honest while filling out your medical history, and tell your dentist if you are taking any medications via prescription and/or over-the-counter.