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The
time has come, you have finally realised that the next step is the
one for you.
You are ready
to seek the professional help you require. This is an important
time and one that you need to consider carefully.
It may have
taken you years to get to this point so a little time in ensuring
you make the correct choice is well spent.
You must realise
that, in order to beat your fears, you will need to build a trust
relationship with the dentist you choose. You will need to be able
to see beyond your fears and trust in you choice of dentist. You
will need to ensure the dentist you choose will be able to provide
the time, patience and understanding you need.
Before
you do anything else you MUST identify what you need from a dentist
in order that you can make an appointment that you can cope with?
There
are two important steps that need to be followed if you are to ensure
that you know exactly what you need to do to make that appointment.
These are:
-
Identify exactly what stops you from making an appointment.
- Sort this
list in order of importance.
Once you have
done this you are able to approach a dentist and tell them what
you need from them in order to make it possible for you to go
through with your treatment.
Recommendation
is by far the best way of making this first contact.
Ask friends,
relatives or loved ones if they know of a dentist that may be able
to help. If not then scan the adverts for dentists that state they
deal with nervous or anxious patients. However, it vitally important
that the dentist will work with you in the way that YOU need and
they are willing / able to enable you to deal with all the things
that are stopping you from undergoing treatment.
When you have
located what you think maybe a suitable practice the next thing
to do either is telephone or write to them. Explain exactly
how you feel, what you need in order to be able to undergo treatment
and then ask them if they can help.
There is a questionnarie available
for download to help you explain exactly how you fear.
Click
here for a step-by-step process to make it easier for you to
discover what you need to be able to undergo treatment
It is important
to be truthful at this point with yourself and the dentist. Do not
be ashamed of your fears. Everyone is afraid of something. You are
now making an effort to beat those fears and if you have the right
dentist they will respect your honesty and just how big a step you
are taking.
You will be
able to decide from the reaction you get to this first contact if
proceeding with them is the way for you. You need to feel comfortable
with the dentist so don't rush at this point. It was hard to get
to this point but so easy to get "kicked back" into your fears if
you make a wrong choice at this point.
What
techniques are available to help?
- Relaxation
- Hypnosis
- Inhalation
sedation
- IV sedation
Not all of the
above are suitable for all people but it is important to be aware
of their existence. This is where talking to you dentists is so
vital. Discussing your fears with them will make it easier to decide
the best technique for you.
Your first
appointment should just be for a chat.
This is where
you get to meet the dentist, discuss the options available and start
to build the "trust" relationship.
You may or may
not have an initial examination at this point. The choice should
be up to you. Proceed only when you are ready to. This won't be
a problem if you have the right dentist.
The
thing to remember is don't expect your dentist to do it all.
No matter how
good the dentist is the only one that can overcome your fears is
YOU. A good dentist will work with you and help overcome your problems
one at a time. They will be able to provide the help and advice
that will make the path easier.
In order to
be able to work with your dentist this way it is important that
you know what you need to overcome and what is available to help
you do so.
As an example
if a fear of needles is a problem there is a topical anaesthetic
that can be applied to the gums prior to the actual injection. This
will stop you feeling the injection at all. It may be that on one
visit you have an injection and nothing else. This may seem unproductive
but it will allow you to realise that you can handle injections.
So when you have treatment you don't need to worry about the injection
any more as you know that you can cope with it now.
Remember
that every step you take is progress.
Learn to congratulate
yourself and see the progress you are making. We are all too ready
to criticise ourselves and tell ourselves that we are failures.
it those memories of failures that we all to readily remember when
the doubts start to creep in..
Foster a positive
attitude, even if you don't feel that you have made giant steps
try and see it from an outside perspective.
If you went
to the practice and the only thing you did was talk to the dentist
and that was terrifying. There are two ways of looking at it.
- You were
terrified, unable to handle it. It wasn't even in the surgery
and look what nervous wreck it made you. You don't think you will
be able to go through that again.
- You actually
managed to see a dentist and talk to them. OK so it wasn't as
comfortable as you might have liked it to be but you survived.
If you can do it once there is no reason why you cannot do it
again. The next time will be easier. You did well.
To sum
up:
- Identify
exactly what you need to enable you to undergo treatment
- Find a dentist,
by recommendation if possible, that will work with you to enable
you to deal with the issues identified above.
- Telephone
or write to them and explain exactly how you feel and
what youyou need from them
- Trust your
instincts based on the response you receive from this initial
contact.
- Make your
first appointment an informal chat with your dentist preferable
outside of the surgery.
- Take things
at you own pace and face each of your fears one step at a time.
- Remember
every step you take is progress. Even if it doesn't go exactly
as you would have wished. Learn from the experience to make things
easier next time.
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