Letters and thoughts, from anxious patient friendly dentists

[krlovesherkids777]

Last year my dentist had left and I was looking and searching for a new anxious patient friendly dentist. I FB'ed and got some very friendly compassionate replies, some of whom I went on to meet.. I wanted to share some examples of kind anxious friend dental responses for those who are just beginning your search to encourage you , there are many out there so want to help, will not judge, and understand your anxiety and want to understand your experience so they can help.

Dentist #1. Hi ...., thanks so much for reaching out to us! I know that coming in to see the dentist can be a very scary and nerve wracking experience. My team and I do everything we can to prevent anxiety and make every anxious patient as comfortable as possible while they are under our care. There is absolutely no charge to meet with me before a formal exam, and I would love to discuss all the ways that my team and I can help you restore confidence in your smile. Please give us a call next week (we are closed the remainder of this week) to schedule a time to meet. I admire your bravery for reaching out and I look forward to seeing you! -Dr. S

Dentist #2.
Hi .....! I am definitely willing to meet and chat for 10-15 minutes one day. We could discuss a bit of your dental history and I could show you the office. There would be no charge for that. I have a lot of experience with anxious patients as dental anxiety is very common - you are definitely not alone. We see varying degrees of it everyday in our practice. , one of our hygienists, would be the best for someone with anxiety as she has over a decade of dental experience and has a very calming presence. We would love to see you at Loop - we do not judge anyone and just want to provide you with great dental care.
Thank you,

Dentist #3 a post from one of the dentists I reached out to that I though was worth passing on.

"I hate the dentist! I have heard different renditions of this phrase over and over again. Often times his is the greeting I get when I first meet a patient for the first time. I totally get it! When we were children we didn't have a choice and our parents brought us to a dentist , we had to sit in a chair and trust some stranger with our mouth. The scariest part is we felt we didn't know what was going to happen and we had no control! I'm here to tell you the dental experience doesn't have to be that way! it Should NOT be that way!! I'm here to help reverse that fearful mindset. I'm passionate about creating a welcoming comfortable and caring environment for YOU, one that YOU will have control over. I want to get to know you before we start any treatment, I want to know your exceptions and goals. I know that I can help you because I have helped my patients who were fearful! I have turned patients around from being afraid to become patients who enjoy coming o see me. I can't promise you will LOVE coming to the dental clinic , but I hope that I can help create a better experience for you every time.

Dentist #4. One of the best dental fear dentists in Europe. a friend of mine goes to , this is one a page dedicated to dental fear and their heart to help patients.

We understand that you may feel nervous, worried or just plain afraid of the dentist but we are here to help you with that. Please understand that you are not alone in feeling scared, anxious, terrified or phobic when you think about visiting the dentist.

Our sympathetic, caring and most importantly, experienced Edinburgh based team are here to help. With years of experience helping people beat their fears we are able to offer a complete range of options so whatever stage of tackling your dental fear you have reached we hope to be able to help you.

Our team know that your exact dental fears or phobias will be unique to you which is why we do not try to provide a one size fits all solution. We offer a huge range of help and support to help you move forwards and beat your dental fear at your own pace, so whether you would describe yourself as terrified of the dentist, scared of the dentist, or suffering from dental phobia, we hope that these pages help you. Please explore this section of the website to investigate your options. By the way, the Helpful Videos section is only me talking, there are no pictures of teeth, treatments or even ‘dental things’.


If anyone has anything similiar from dentists or staff to add to the encouragement for those looking for dentists.. that would be great.

 

[BoxerMom]

Last year my dentist had left and I was looking and searching for a new anxious patient friendly dentist. I FB'ed and got some very friendly compassionate replies, some of whom I went on to meet.. I wanted to share some examples of kind anxious friend dental responses for those who are just beginning your search to encourage you , there are many out there so want to help, will not judge, and understand your anxiety and want to understand your experience so they can help.

Dentist #1. Hi ...., thanks so much for reaching out to us! I know that coming in to see the dentist can be a very scary and nerve wracking experience. My team and I do everything we can to prevent anxiety and make every anxious patient as comfortable as possible while they are under our care. There is absolutely no charge to meet with me before a formal exam, and I would love to discuss all the ways that my team and I can help you restore confidence in your smile. Please give us a call next week (we are closed the remainder of this week) to schedule a time to meet. I admire your bravery for reaching out and I look forward to seeing you! -Dr. S

Dentist #2.
Hi .....! I am definitely willing to meet and chat for 10-15 minutes one day. We could discuss a bit of your dental history and I could show you the office. There would be no charge for that. I have a lot of experience with anxious patients as dental anxiety is very common - you are definitely not alone. We see varying degrees of it everyday in our practice. , one of our hygienists, would be the best for someone with anxiety as she has over a decade of dental experience and has a very calming presence. We would love to see you at Loop - we do not judge anyone and just want to provide you with great dental care.
Thank you,

Dentist #3 a post from one of the dentists I reached out to that I though was worth passing on.

"I hate the dentist! I have heard different renditions of this phrase over and over again. Often times his is the greeting I get when I first meet a patient for the first time. I totally get it! When we were children we didn't have a choice and our parents brought us to a dentist , we had to sit in a chair and trust some stranger with our mouth. The scariest part is we felt we didn't know what was going to happen and we had no control! I'm here to tell you the dental experience doesn't have to be that way! it Should NOT be that way!! I'm here to help reverse that fearful mindset. I'm passionate about creating a welcoming comfortable and caring environment for YOU, one that YOU will have control over. I want to get to know you before we start any treatment, I want to know your exceptions and goals. I know that I can help you because I have helped my patients who were fearful! I have turned patients around from being afraid to become patients who enjoy coming o see me. I can't promise you will LOVE coming to the dental clinic , but I hope that I can help create a better experience for you every time.

Dentist #4. One of the best dental fear dentists in Europe. a friend of mine goes to , this is one a page dedicated to dental fear and their heart to help patients.

We understand that you may feel nervous, worried or just plain afraid of the dentist but we are here to help you with that. Please understand that you are not alone in feeling scared, anxious, terrified or phobic when you think about visiting the dentist.

Our sympathetic, caring and most importantly, experienced Edinburgh based team are here to help. With years of experience helping people beat their fears we are able to offer a complete range of options so whatever stage of tackling your dental fear you have reached we hope to be able to help you.

Our team know that your exact dental fears or phobias will be unique to you which is why we do not try to provide a one size fits all solution. We offer a huge range of help and support to help you move forwards and beat your dental fear at your own pace, so whether you would describe yourself as terrified of the dentist, scared of the dentist, or suffering from dental phobia, we hope that these pages help you. Please explore this section of the website to investigate your options. By the way, the Helpful Videos section is only me talking, there are no pictures of teeth, treatments or even ‘dental things’.


If anyone has anything similiar from dentists or staff to add to the encouragement for those looking for dentists.. that would be great.

My dental phobia is so bad, I could not even make the phone calls or reach out to talk to a dentist. My husband started calling around for a sedation dentist. He’d made me an appointment but said that he didn’t think they did sedation, and I freaked out. I guess he called them again and they recommended another dentist that will. A week before my appointment, the dentist called me and asked if I had any questions, and we talked for about 10 minutes. I feel that he’d have stayed on the phone much longer if needed, but I was at work so I kept it short. He asked if I had any anxiety medication and if so, I should take it an hour before the appointment. So the dreaded time comes, and I’m trying to be brave (my husband drove and went with me). As soon as I opened the door, the smell took me back and I panicked a little, but kept going. Filled out the paperwork, wanting to run the entire time. The hygienist comes to get me and we go to the exam room. At this point I didn’t want to even look at that chair, but I made myself sit, upright, not reclining. She starts asking me questions, and I explain my fears and that I’m terrified. She was very calming and explained everything they were going to do. I got xrays done, then back to the chair. The dr comes in and sits down and talked to me for a little while. He was very calming, and his exact words were “we don’t worry about the past, we just go forward and there’s no judgement”. He examined my teeth, and the one time he picked up that hook I flinched. He stopped and said I’m not going to do anything I’m just measuring. It was all very low-key and calm. I guessed that there’s really nothing to do other than full extraction, and that was the verdict. I know many people here greatly fear loosing their teeth, but for me it was such a relief. I won’t have to listen to that damn drill. So the next step is this Thursday which is the consult to find out how much it will cost. I have no idea how we’re going to pay for it, but we’ll find a way. So, after this loooong story, lol, the point is that if I can start this journey, then you certainly can as well. There are caring, compassionate and kind dentists out there. I got lucky I think, but the first step for me was talking about it. Once I started opening up to others about how I felt, I definitely felt better. And this forum had helped immensely. I know I’m not alone, and that is comforting. After typing all this out, I realize it might be in the wrong thread, so please move if necessary.

 

[krlovesherkids777]

Boxermom. I love this! Love that your dentist checked up on you and wanted to answer your questions and that your hygenist was very calming. They seem like a lovely team! This is all about words that good anxious friendly dentists say to their patients so it totally fits

 

[Mazey]

Thanks for sharing those! There are so many understanding and caring dentists out there.

 

[Sol]

I'll link to the post in my journal where I pasted some responses from dental offices. It will link to the exact post so I will spare everyone from digging through my journal rambling.

https://www.dentalfearcentral.org/forum/threads/sols-journal.27193/page-2#post-202238

 

[Surreyvwphobic]

Last year my dentist had left and I was looking and searching for a new anxious patient friendly dentist. I FB'ed and got some very friendly compassionate replies, some of whom I went on to meet.. I wanted to share some examples of kind anxious friend dental responses for those who are just beginning your search to encourage you , there are many out there so want to help, will not judge, and understand your anxiety and want to understand your experience so they can help.

Dentist #1. Hi ...., thanks so much for reaching out to us! I know that coming in to see the dentist can be a very scary and nerve wracking experience. My team and I do everything we can to prevent anxiety and make every anxious patient as comfortable as possible while they are under our care. There is absolutely no charge to meet with me before a formal exam, and I would love to discuss all the ways that my team and I can help you restore confidence in your smile. Please give us a call next week (we are closed the remainder of this week) to schedule a time to meet. I admire your bravery for reaching out and I look forward to seeing you! -Dr. S

Dentist #2.
Hi .....! I am definitely willing to meet and chat for 10-15 minutes one day. We could discuss a bit of your dental history and I could show you the office. There would be no charge for that. I have a lot of experience with anxious patients as dental anxiety is very common - you are definitely not alone. We see varying degrees of it everyday in our practice. , one of our hygienists, would be the best for someone with anxiety as she has over a decade of dental experience and has a very calming presence. We would love to see you at Loop - we do not judge anyone and just want to provide you with great dental care.
Thank you,

Dentist #3 a post from one of the dentists I reached out to that I though was worth passing on.

"I hate the dentist! I have heard different renditions of this phrase over and over again. Often times his is the greeting I get when I first meet a patient for the first time. I totally get it! When we were children we didn't have a choice and our parents brought us to a dentist , we had to sit in a chair and trust some stranger with our mouth. The scariest part is we felt we didn't know what was going to happen and we had no control! I'm here to tell you the dental experience doesn't have to be that way! it Should NOT be that way!! I'm here to help reverse that fearful mindset. I'm passionate about creating a welcoming comfortable and caring environment for YOU, one that YOU will have control over. I want to get to know you before we start any treatment, I want to know your exceptions and goals. I know that I can help you because I have helped my patients who were fearful! I have turned patients around from being afraid to become patients who enjoy coming o see me. I can't promise you will LOVE coming to the dental clinic , but I hope that I can help create a better experience for you every time.

Dentist #4. One of the best dental fear dentists in Europe. a friend of mine goes to , this is one a page dedicated to dental fear and their heart to help patients.

We understand that you may feel nervous, worried or just plain afraid of the dentist but we are here to help you with that. Please understand that you are not alone in feeling scared, anxious, terrified or phobic when you think about visiting the dentist.

Our sympathetic, caring and most importantly, experienced Edinburgh based team are here to help. With years of experience helping people beat their fears we are able to offer a complete range of options so whatever stage of tackling your dental fear you have reached we hope to be able to help you.

Our team know that your exact dental fears or phobias will be unique to you which is why we do not try to provide a one size fits all solution. We offer a huge range of help and support to help you move forwards and beat your dental fear at your own pace, so whether you would describe yourself as terrified of the dentist, scared of the dentist, or suffering from dental phobia, we hope that these pages help you. Please explore this section of the website to investigate your options. By the way, the Helpful Videos section is only me talking, there are no pictures of teeth, treatments or even ‘dental things’.


If anyone has anything similiar from dentists or staff to add to the encouragement for those looking for dentists.. that would be great.

What lovely words! Thanks for sharing these with us, and if any of these wonderful clinicians recognise their words and are reading this, a big thanks to you for showing such kindness and giving so much hope to so many desperate souls out there. It really goes to show that there are some lovely human beings out there waiting and ready to love and serve!

From dental heaven with love. Simon XX

 

[Surreyvwphobic]

An addition to add to this conversation. This has been written about elsewhere on this site, but I take people on here back to 2009 when I first met a lovely Bengali guy in Reading Berkshire (UK) as I was living in Surrey (about 20 miles, 30 mins away). This guy named Hitesh, was so kind and loving that he was actually moved to tears when I told him of my plight and he assured me that I was in safe gentle hands and nothing awful would happen. The first informal meeting with him was also free of charge and there was plenty of time to see everywhere and meet the other staff along with a nice cup of tea! He certainly lived up to and well beyond his word. I still miss him terribly; he became something of a friend as much as an amazing dentist, but he is just too far away to continue with.

In recent times, when I approached "Smiles Better", the lady who emailed me initially sent me a very kind letter and was equally charming and helpful when I first visited, again with a tour and drink. I did get to meet a dentist there who was not the one I ended up choosing, although he might still have me, as he is one of the choices available to me as the replacement for the lovely Sameera who has gone off to start a family as I have mentioned in my journals.

In my recent searches before settling on the two places I now use, the other two competitors were equally supportive and empathetic on first contact and visit; I am truly amazed at how the industry has transformed in the past couple of years. I hope this is of great comfort and inspiration to all who start out after me, and am happy to chat with anyone about my experiences and guide as they so wish.

From dental heaven with love. Simon XX

 

[krlovesherkids777]

Simon.. wow..

In reading your story of Hitesh , I did tear up, he sounds like such a gentle kind soul and I can just imagine being in the care of such a dentist.. He is a bit of an angel and inspiration and friend all mixed in one.. reminds me a bit of my previous dentist who passed me on to my current. No one can compare , he was an angel to me and will always be even if he can't do my dental work.

I hope all the work with your lovely Meagan and the teams you work with keep being Heavenly! You are an inspiration always!!

 

[Surreyvwphobic]

Bless you! Glad it inspired. Yes just a couple of weeks before seeing Megan again (already!). I will of course post in my ongoing journal as usual after the session.

Love Simon XX

 

[kitkat]

I find it very encouraging each time a member posts that they went to a first appointment and were received kindly by the dental team. It really seems to be becoming more of the norm these days which I don’t think was the case up until very recently..not sure what has changed. There is more of a push for healthcare to become more patient-centered in recent years and there seems to be more focus on customer satisfaction/service and creating a positive patient experience. There also seems to be a change in the relationship where dentist/patient has become more of a balanced partnership as opposed to the dentist being more of an “authority figure”. I think as competition in the industry grows they feel more pressure to accommodate and cater to patients’ needs which definitely helps.

 

[thisisme]

I find it very encouraging each time a member posts that they went to a first appointment and were received kindly by the dental team. It really seems to be becoming more of the norm these days which I don’t think was the case up until very recently..not sure what has changed. There is more of a push for healthcare to become more patient-centered in recent years and there seems to be more focus on customer satisfaction/service and creating a positive patient experience. There also seems to be a change in the relationship where dentist/patient has become more of a balanced partnership as opposed to the dentist being more of an “authority figure”. I think as competition in the industry grows they feel more pressure to accommodate and cater to patients’ needs which definitely helps.

This. ? I hear a lot of people saying they wish they would have gone sooner and although that’s never a bad thing, I’m not upset I took the amount of time I needed. What would have happened if I went back 5 years ago and it was still “old school” shaming? Would it have scared me away another 10 years? This shift was so very much needed. You are paying to be there. Paying to be treated, listened to, and respected. Who wants to pay money for people who demean them? I don’t know why but I’m finally seeing this now, but maybe it’s due to the shift you mention. It hasn’t always been like that. I hope it continues, so kids these days never have to experience a lecture for let’s face it, being a kid.

 

[kitkat]

This. ? I hear a lot of people saying they wish they would have gone sooner and although that’s never a bad thing, I’m not upset I took the amount of time I needed. What would have happened if I went back 5 years ago and it was still “old school” shaming? Would it have scared me away another 10 years? This shift was so very much needed. You are paying to be there. Paying to be treated, listened to, and respected. Who wants to pay money for people who demean them? I don’t know why but I’m finally seeing this now, but maybe it’s due to the shift you mention. It hasn’t always been like that. I hope it continues, so kids these days never have to experience a lecture for let’s face it, being a kid.

As a kid I was conditioned to just deal with whatever was happening and not make a fuss so I was always compliant despite being terrified. I was never really informed of what was happening or why or what to expect so the first time my new (current) dentist spoke to me during treatment and encouraged me to communicate with her I was pretty astonished. The most important thing she ever said to me was that I was in control. It’s surprising to me now looking back, that I actually had to be told that, because I truly didn’t realize it on my own.