I have worked in dentistry
for 16 years as a dental surgery assistant,receptionist and for the last
10 have held the role of practice manager.
As someone who was anxious of visiting the dentist when I was younger
I have always had an interest and empathy with nervous patients and been
keen to listen to their fears about dental treatment.
In 1998 I successfully completed a Diploma in Counselling always with
the idea that with my experience in dentistry and my counselling skills
I would specialise in counselling patients with dental phobia.
My practice specialises in the treatment of nervous patients and I have
been given much encouragement and support by my employer Douglas Miller
in setting up this service.
In my experience dental phobia is very often caused by a bad experience
often at a young age.
One phobic patient whom I saw recently recalled at the age of 11 being
taken to the school dentist and having his teeth poked by a metal instrument.
He then had a gas mask placed over his face and had 6 teeth extracted.
I asked him how this made him feel, he answered, . Out of control. . The
poking of his teeth has always given him a fear of the probe being used
in his mouth. This happened over 40 years ago but he remembers it as if
it were yesterday.
This is one person. s experience but dental phobia can mean different
things to different people. Other people have mentioned:-
Noise of the drill
Fear of injections (needle phobia)
Feeling out of control
Feeling claustrophobic
The smell of the surgery
Being embarrassed about leaving treatment for a long time
Being judged
At the initial counselling session I let the patient know that our practice
does not judge people because they haven't visited the dentist for a long
time, and that we treat our patients in a way that we would like to be
treated ourselves. If the patient decides to make an appointment, I am
with them as dental nurse at all times in the surgery during their treatment.
I feel this continuity is very important and gives ongoing support to
the patient from start to finish.
If a patient is fearful of the sound of the drill we offer a Walkman
so they can listen to some music. It is important to let anxious patients
know that they are in control at all times and if they raise their hand
during treatment we will stop immediately.
I have found that many anxious patients are keen to be told step by step
what the dentist is doing during their treatment, this helps to make the
patient feel in control.
I feel very encouraged when a phobic patient is able to start feeling
confident about visiting the dentist.
I hope in the future I will be able to help more phobic patients make
their first step to overcome a phobia which has been a hindrance for many
years.
