Are you terrified of going to the dentist because you feel that the treatment will cause you a lot of pain? You are right up to a point, because some dental treatments do cause a great deal of discomfort, although most people come to the dentist psychologically prepared to handle it. If however, you belong to the category of people who are dental phobic, it is very unlikely that you will even step into the dentist’s clinic. Many people get this way because of bad or painful experiences they had while in the dentist’s chair, particularly when they were young.
This phobia of dentists and dental treatments could turn out to be very costly for you because teeth deteriorate very fast if any problem they have is not treated in time. A local Leeds dental practice believes that the only way to handle patients such as you is by using anaesthesia. After all, the job of cleaning and repairing teeth has to go on, and if this is the only way to get it done, then dentists should use it to calm the fears of the anxious patient, even if they are irrational.
Make it a point to visit this dental practice in order to get your teeth cleaned or repaired easily. The friendly surroundings and well trained staff will ensure that you lose your fear of dental treatments. What is even better is that most people lose their crippling fear of dentists after they have had one pleasant experience.
Posts Tagged ‘dental phobia’
Leeds dentist uses anaesthesia to treat dental phobic patients
Friday, July 30th, 2010Dental Phobia Is Easily Avoided, Says Dentist in Leeds Central
Wednesday, July 7th, 2010
Dental phobia is a problem that affects most people. It causes them to fear dental visits and in many cases it causes people to delay going for regular check ups, leading to unnecessarily large dental bills because of neglected teeth. Most people manage to control their fears long enough to visit a dentist and get their teeth attended to. However, there is a small population who are just too terrified to step into a dentist’s clinic and they pay a heavy price in the form of all sorts of dental problems.
A dental clinic in Leeds Central has been trying to address this issue by offering special solutions for people with dental phobia. To start with, it is the responsibility of the dentist to make the patient feel at ease and to reduce his or her fears. Since these fears are usually caused due to bad dental experiences in the past, a good dentist can reduce them by counselling the patient.
Dentists are also given training these days on how to handle patients who have irrational fears of them. They encourage patients to try out self hypnosis before they come for an appointment so that they are without their dental phobia and therefore easier to deal with.
The dental clinic in Leeds Central has been putting a lot of effort into ensuring that patients are comfortable. Soothing music and aromatherapy have contributed to the patient’s comfort level. Another factor is the use of the latest techniques and equipment that reduce a patient’s stay in the clinic to the minimum.
Central Leeds dentists more understanding and caring than ever before
Saturday, April 17th, 2010
Fear of the dentists is one of the most common phobias in the UK, with nearly nine out of ten people admitting to having some reservations about visiting the dentist either due to the fear of pain, or because of previous bad experiences. It is true that in the past, dentistry, as well as most other areas of health, has suffered from a reputation as something not quite as caring and gentle as it could have been. One only has to look at some of the almost barbaric surgical tools used well into the twentieth century to see that concern for the patient’s condition often came second to treating the problem effectively.
In recent years however, there has been a definite shift towards a more holistic care, where every aspect of treatment and its effects on the patient are considered. This has led to a new era of dentistry, one where the dentists care for you, the patient, as well as the health of your teeth.
Modern dentistry is one of the most progressive areas of health care with technological advancements constantly introducing new tool and devices to reduce the impact and pain experienced by the patient. For example, dental lasers and digital x-rays have both reduced appointment times and allowed the introduction of other painless surgical techniques.
Central Leeds dentists are fully trained not just in the skills of dentistry but also in how to manage patients and make them feel at ease and comfortable. Dentistry for them is more than about treating the teeth, but making sure that the patient is happy, comfortable and relaxed. This may be the reason why fear of the dentist seems finally to be on the decrease. The outmoded dental treatment of the past has been replaced and today dentists are more sensitive and understanding health care providers. Visit your dentist to find out for yourself.
Overcome dental phobia with the help of City of Leeds dentist
Thursday, February 18th, 2010Fear is something we all have to deal with in life, whether it be fear of spiders, commitment or even flying, it is something we need to conquer in order to enjoy life to its fullest. However, some fears can do more than stop us doing this. Dental phobia can seriously affect the health of your teeth and cause painful and expansive dental problems that can last for a whole lifetime.
Dental phobia is one of the most common fears in the UK and comes in a variety of degrees of severity. Most people who fear the dentist, as many as nine out of ten according to some surveys, are able to put their fears to 
one side in order to receive necessary treatment. But for others the fear is simply too great to overcome and they will avoid any kind of contact with the dentist at all cost. This leads to a downward spiral of dental health as the longer without treatment the more the patients requires it.
Dental phobia can be overcome with the right help. It is particularly down to the dentist to help patients overcome fears, as many cases of dental phobia are caused by traumatic experiences at the dentist in the past. Talking through your fears with a friendly City of Leeds dentist can help many people to realise there is nothing to fear. Other treatments for phobia include using hypnotherapy and self-hypnotherapy techniques in order to relax before appointments. Recent studies have also had a lot of success with using lavender oil and other aromatherapy treatments.
Some techniques may work for some better than others but it is vitally important that patients who do fear the dentist try with help to overcome their fears and get the right dental treatment.
Dental phobia sufferers face their fears with help from City of Leeds dentist
Saturday, January 16th, 2010
Like all phobias, dental phobia can cause a person to completely avoid the stimulus. If you happen to have a phobia of spiders then you are unlikely to suffer health consequences as a result, but avoiding the dentist for years or even a whole lifetime can have any number of serious health effects. With the growing evidence of the links between heart disease and gum disease, it is more important than ever to receive the necessary dental treatment no matter how much it frightens you.
Dental phobia is surprisingly common in the UK. It is a more serious version of dental anxiety that nearly 80 per cent of people admit to having at some point. Most people are able to overcome their anxiety about the dentist as they balance the fear with the necessity of treatment, but for sufferers of phobia this is impossible. Or perhaps not. More and more patients with dental phobia are receiving much needed treatment as dentists develop new ways to make treatment easier. Dentists are receiving more training in how to deal with nervous patients and ideas such as aromatherapy and self-hypnosis prior to treatment are becoming more and more common.
Studies have also shown that this approach actually works with lavender oil being proven to calm nerves before an appointment. Other dentists are offering anxious patients the chance to talk through their fears in an effort to reassure them that they have nothing to worry about. And importantly, advances in technology have made many treatments a lot more comfortable and a lot less frightening. City of Leeds dentists are doing all they can to help anxious patients through the difficult first steps of facing their fears.
City of Leeds dentist treats dental phobia with DVD goggles
Tuesday, December 1st, 2009
Dental phobia is a condition that means a person’s fear of the dentist is so great that they are unable to visit the dentist, causing their dental health to suffer as a result. Many dentists report that the most anxious patients are often the ones with the most serious dental concerns. This is because they are unable to rationalise their fear against the need to have dental treatment. It is important for all patients, no matter how great the phobia, to visit the dentist before their dental problems become irreversible. It is also important for many anxious patients to realise that many modern dentistry techniques are far less uncomfortable than they previously were.
There are many reasons why people are afraid of the dentist. The most common reason by far is a traumatic experience earlier in life. This could either be a painful procedure or a particularly unsympathetic dentist, which has put the patient off for life. Other common reasons are a sense of embarrassment about the condition of their teeth, a fear of dental instruments, or increasingly common, the transferred phobia. This is when a patient who is afraid of the dentist transfers the fear onto their children. All of these fears are common and not unusual but there are ways to overcome them.
One of the most useful ways to overcome your fear is to simply communicate them with a dentist. By expressing exactly what it is you are afraid of, a dentist can tailor your treatment accordingly and put your mind at ease about what exactly the procedure will involve. Patients often find that the reality of treatment is far less unpleasant than what they have imagined. Many patients also come to realise that dental technology advances have changed the way a procedure is performed meaning it is now much less uncomfortable.
For patients who still feel anxious about treatment, many dentists offer relaxation techniques such as aromatherapy and self-hypnosis to enable patients to remain calm during treatment. Scented candles and DVD goggles are two of the latest distraction and calming methods available.
For patients with extreme phobias it is possible to be completely sedated with medication before treatment. Whatever the most suitable way for you to relax, it is vitally important that you overcome your fears and visit the dentist. Healthy teeth and gums could save you years of unnecessary pain and misery so make an appointment now to discuss your fear with a City of Leeds dentist.
Dental phobia eased by talking to City of Leeds dentist
Friday, October 23rd, 2009
Recent studies have found that over 90 pre cent of people in the UK admit to having some fear of the dentist. This fear ranges from mild anxiety to fully blown dental phobia. The difference between a phobia and an anxiety is really made by a person’s ability to confront it. For most people, the consequences of not visiting the dentist far outweigh the anxieties they have about going for a check up. They are able to rationalise that having their teeth checked will benefit them in the long run. Someone who suffers with dental phobia is not able to make this same rationalisation, the fear is simply too great. The irony here of course is that by not visiting the dentist a dental phobic is increasing the chances that they will need more serious dental treatment in the future.
Dental phobias usually stem from similar reasons, in most cases. It is more often than not related to a past traumatic incident at the dentists, often during childhood. A painful procedure or a particularly unsympathetic dentist can put off a patient for life. Other patients talk about a feeling of lack of control when sitting in the dentist chair and a fear of instruments inserted into the mouth is also a common. In many cases the fear has been transferred from a parent to their child. The parent tells the child so often that the dentist is scary that they eventually start to believe it.
With the advances in dental technology, today there really is no need to fear the dentist. Many procedures that were previously complex and painful have been simplified or improved to minimise the discomfort to the patient, and the introduction of laser surgery has also shortened recovery times.
For patients with phobias it is often helpful to simply talk them through with a dentist. Dentists are specially trained to deal with nervous patients and you are hardly likely to be their first. Explaining your concerns will give the dentist an opportunity to reassure you about any specific anxieties.
Other tools that work for patients are relaxation and self-hypnosis techniques. These can greatly reduce the feelings of anxiety before an appointment. Recent studies have also shown lavender oil to be very useful in calming patients’ nerves before seeing the dentist. Whatever your concerns or the extent of your phobia, a City of Leeds will be able to help you overcome it. It really is in your own interest, to help prevent any dental complications that may need treatment in the future.
Leeds dentist uses sedation to provide anxiety free treatment
Tuesday, October 6th, 2009
In the UK, 93 per cent of people admit to having a fear of the dentist. For the most part they are able to overcome those fears as they know how important a check up is to their dental health. However, for nearly 30 per cent of patients, the fear of the dentist is far more serious and they avoid dental visits completely. This ‘dental phobia’ prevents these patients from receiving the dental care they need, putting them at risk of sacrificing their oral well being.
One option for patients who are unable to receive dental treatment due to dental phobia is to receive treatment under sedation. This practice has been widely used with great success in the USA and Canada and is now being implemented in the UK. It requires no needles and aims to establish a calm and relaxed state in the patient for the duration of treatment by using sedative drugs. These often take the form of tranquilisers, anti-anxiety medications or nitrous oxide, delivered through a variety of means, and can relax a patient to the extent that they can not remember the treatment afterwards.
When administered by a professional, sedation is a safe and effective way of getting patients through traumatic dental procedures. Unlike a general anaesthetic, sedation does not render the patient unconscious, as often the dentist will require the patient to be awake and cooperative during surgery. It is always recommended that patients undergoing oral sedation are accompanied by a responsible caregiver, who can take the patient home after surgery and stay with them for several hours until the effects have worn off.
The benefits of oral sedation are fairly obvious. Patients who would otherwise neglect their oral hygiene and who may be suffering painful dental conditions are able to receive the treatment they need without undue anxiety. Procedures that can last hours, may seem like only minutes to a sedated patient which will greatly limit the discomfort felt by the patients. Ask a Leeds dentist about oral sedation if you or a family member suffers from dental phobia and receive necessary dental treatment without undue anxiety and stress.
City of Leeds dentist removes anxiety from nervous patients
Sunday, September 20th, 2009
Over 90 per cent of us confess to having a fear of the dentist. For most of that 90 per cent the fear is mild and easily overcome by the knowledge that looking after your teeth is more important. For others who suffer from a more severe dental phobia the fear wins and their oral health suffers as a result. Many nervous or anxious patients suffer from gum disease and tooth decay because they put off or avoid coming to the dentist for check ups. Regular dental check ups are one of the best ways to avoid problems such as these so in some respects their fears are making the situation worse.
Many people’s dental phobias are caused by similar factors. A previous negative experience at the dentist’s, particularly during childhood, can lead to a lifetime of fear. A painful procedure or unsympathetic dentist can put a patient off returning for life. For others, they are embarrassed about the state of their teeth and put off going to the dentist. As with many other dental phobias, this achieves nothing more than to make the situation worse. Running from your fears is never the answer. Other patients speak of fears of having instruments placed on their mouth or feelings of lack of control.
These fears may be very real to people but there are ways around them. Try explaining them to your dentist, being as open and honest as possible. Whatever your fear, they will have experienced it before and will be trained to help you overcome it. Other dentists now use relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises and self-hypnosis to overcome anxiety. The use of lavender oil and other natural remedies can also help to calm patients’ nerves.
It is also very important to remember that dentistry has made huge advances in the last twenty years. Dental surgeries are unrecognizable now from the places many patients may have experienced as children. Many of the procedures that were previously painful or unpleasant are now more or less completely pain free. Operation and treatment times have been slashed for many procedures, meaning less time will be spent in the chair and fewer visits will be required. A City of Leeds dentist will be able to talk nervous patients through all the changes and reassure them that they really do have nothing to worry about.