Tips & Tricks

Dental Fear Central - Your Hub for Dental Phobia Information

Bad gag reflex? Click here for tips!

	Spotted on alt.support.dental-phobia (Google Groups): ONE STEP AT A TIME - Treat the phobia not just the teeth. On your first appointment just have a chat - discuss your fears - get used to being in the place. This may help get rid of the image, possibly built up over the years, that the surgery is a torture chamber and the dentist the reincarnation of the Marquis De Sade. (Unless you really are unlucky!) Arrange with your dentist that the first examination is not in depth, just a quick look. This helps you to get over the "my teeth are disgusting and the worse that the dentist has seen" syndrome. Arrange a signal with your dentist to stop what he is doing if you need him to. This puts you more in control of the situation. The rest depends on what your fears are for example:- Needle Phobia - Ask the Dentist to show you the needle (if you can cope). See if you can be given "the gel" which numbs the gum prior to an injection. Just have an injection without any treatment. Anything like this helps. Just prove to yourself that you can handle one aspect of your fears before addressing the next. Drill Phobia - Have a look at the drill, have a listen to the drill, get used to it before it is used on you. Have a mirror handy - Sometimes it helps to see what is happening. The imagination can often run wild. Actually seeing what is being done can put things into perspective. ( I didn't believe that until I tried it and I can only watch a scale and polish) These are things that helped me. They may, or may not, work for you. Find out what works for you, discuss it with your dentist and take it from there. All of this depends on how sympathetic your dentist is but remember: - As a phobic you need to be understood and NOT rushed or forced into anything. - Unless you have a really good dentist that regulates the treatment stay in control of the situation. You know what you can cope with - don't exceed it - Take one step at a time - don't move on until you KNOW you can handle it. - Treat the Phobia, thats what is affecting your life, not just the teeth. This is a purely personal observation but if your dentist will not agree to the above you're in the wrong place!! [Source: alt.support.dental-phobia 1998/02/05, From: Andy Solecki]

"I always try to tell patients that they're in charge as much as possible, that if there's something I do that they don't like, then they've to tell me and I'll try to find an alternative and if there isn't then I'll explain why and we'll decide where to go next. Try to put as much control onto the patient as possible and make them responsible in part for their own treatment."

"Always come out to the waiting room to greet your patient. Introduce yourself using your first name, and use your patient's first name - frequently! This shows that you regard them as equals, thus reducing social distance and facilitating rapport."

"To help my patients feel in control, I usually tell them to count to 10 (internally) then we'll stop on some agreed signal, then a count to 20 and so on."

"Always ask your patient if they'd prefer to be sitting up or lying down." (also see "What's Your Fear - For Abuse Survivors")

"Many people feel safer when they bring a blanket and cover themselves during treatment."

If you're worried that you might need to communicate during your appointment, but are unable to speak (e. g. because you're numbed), ask for a paper and a pen at the beginning of your appointment. This way you will still be able to relay important concerns.

"Dental School 101" is a good guide to basic chairside manner for dental students. Recommended!

Dental School 101

"No matter what I see when I look into someones mouth, I praise them for being as good as they are and focus on the positive aspects while taking an "Ah well!" attitude to the negative aspects.

Feelings of guilt do nothing to help the person to make changes but praise always encourages and helps people to feel better about themselves. People who are feeling bad and guilty are unlikely to contemplate positive change. Guilt will most likely bring depression and the feeling that its probably too late anyway. It follows that anything we do or say that would tend to promote guilt is a disservice to the person and to ourselves (as promoters of health). If a person can be encouraged to feel good about themselves then have we promoted health and encouraged positive change without even picking up the mirror and probe."

Avoiding Cancellations

If you're sick and tired of people calling your practice and never turning up for their first appointment, try this: if your receptionist suspects that someone is nervous (or if someone else rings and makes an appointment for someone who's nervous), get their address.

Make up a standard letter in which you introduce yourself, preferably with a colour photo (if you have a colour printer), which makes it clear that it's just a "get-to-know you" meeting, after which they can decide whether or not they'd like to come back. Make it clear in the letter that you'll never make them do anything that they're not happy with (and follow up on that promise).

This puts them into a "can't-lose" situation... the worst thing that can happen is that they find they don't like you (very unlikely if you're the type of dentist who visits this site!), in which case they don't have to come back. Introduce yourself using your first name, and tell them something about yourself, for example why you went into dentistry, how you can help them, your hobbies or whatever else you'd like to mention.

The money spent on postage is nothing compared to what you lose on cancellations, so it's well worth a shot!

"Ask that you be allowed to handle the suction instrument whenever possible."

"Bring a friend or family member to the appointment with you."

"That's one of my favourite lines, there's nothing odd or unusual
about you, you just happen to be scared of dentists. I'm scared of
fish and I don't think that's odd at all :-)"

"I like to treat patients as partners in their care, which is of course what they ought to be. So if possible I like to come to a joint decision on the order of treatment. Obviously there is a certain natural order in which work needs to be tackled, there's no point in doing the crown before the root canal for instance :-)"

"The way I normally tackle big cases is to do something small and easy (and relatively quick) first off, basically to build up the patient's confidence and then move on to deal with the rest. I like to start with a front tooth sometimes as well so they can see an immediate benefit."

"I think one mistake many dentists make when dealing with nervous patients is that they become nervous themselves, and start speaking really quickly. Don't! Act calm, happy, and confident, and try and speak slowly - someone who is very nervous or even terrified will not be able to concentrate hard enough to catch what you're saying if you speak too fast. Use short sentences and simple, everyday language. Use "non-threatening" language whenever possible (such as "handpiece" instead of "drill", "small lesion/hole" instead of "decay" and so on - you'll get the drift!)"

"Always make your patient aware of the approximate length of any procedure."

"Keep appointments really short at the start. And don't space appointments too far apart - this would allow the fears to creep back in. If the first appointment goes well, your patient will be on a high - one week in between appointments is really the max."

"Once treatment is finished, offer your patient to come back for check-up whenever they feel like it. Six months is too long for a lot of ex-ish phobics. Suggest a check-up after 3 months, so that the fears won't come back."

"Here's a short one: Smile! A good mood really is infectious."

"Another favourite is always to leave the surgery door open when talking to a patient for the first time."

"Whenever possible, leave the door open during treatment as well. This may be possible if the surgery door faces a corridor rather than the waiting room."

"Praise your patient frequently - for a dental phobic, even seemingly 'simple' things like having an x-ray taken or letting you have a look take a lot of courage."

"I found my dentist's attitude that there was absolutely nothing 'unusual' or 'problematic' about me very reassuring. I got the impression right from the start that he had complete faith in me - and it rubbed off."

"Tell your patient very early on that you'll never do anything that they don't want you to do. This "no pressure" approach really worked for me."

"A useful technique to consider is to ask the patient, on the first visit, what their friends call them. The operator then asks permission to call them by this name, effectively asking if they can be their friend. This helps to begin building rapport and trust."

DISCLAIMER: Statements made on this web site are for entertainment and/or educational purposes only and are not intended as a substitute for the advice of a living, breathing health professional who can deal with you personally. This is a personal website written by individuals who are not dental or mental health professionals, unless stated otherwise on individual webpages. The authors do not claim to represent the opinions of all health professionals. For more information on how to select a dentist or a therapist, see Find a Dentist and Find a Therapist.