• Dental Phobia Support

    Welcome! This is an online support group for anyone who is has a severe fear of the dentist or dental treatment. Please note that this is NOT a general dental problems or health anxiety forum! You can find a list of them here.

    Register now to access all the features of the forum.

Should I contact the new dental practice before I go?

D

De8934

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 31, 2011
Messages
162
Hello everyone. I think I have found a NHS dentist but I want them to know that I am really nervous to go in. They have a website and it gives the opportunity to email them with a question. I was thinking of emailing them to tell them that I am really nervous about going in but I dont want to give my real name. I just want to get a feel of their attitude to patients like me.

Does anyone think it would be a problem emailing them with a made up name? If they are ok with anxiety and stuff then I will make the appointment. I don't want to go in and feel uncomfortable. I'm getting all worked up just writing this message.

Thank you. I would be so grateful for any feed back on this.
 
Hi

I would call them personally as in my experience if the receptionists aren't very friendly or helpful then it is not somewhere I would want to go. If you really don't want to call them then e-mail them, I would say I would prefer not to give my name but just explain about your fears and ask them if there is a dentist there that is good with nervous patients.

I contacted a dental practice about a month ago now and went for the first time last Tuesday but unfortunately they had loads of steps and I have very weak knees and the dentist I was due to see was upstairs!

I went to the dentists next door and they registered me there and then and said the dentist that is good with nervous patients is downstairs so yay!!.

I telephoned the first dentists the next day and explained why I had to leave and she was lovely and said they have a dentist downstairs that is good with nervous patients. The receptionist was friendly and so helpful I ended up saying I would see how it goes with this other dentist and if I am not happy I will defintely go back to the first one.

Making first contact is always hard and don't worry they won't judge you.

Hope this helps you


Alison
 
I emailed my latest dentist twice got a reply but not got a reply to my recent enquiry.


Dave.:)
 
Thank you both for getting back to me about this. I'm so worried about how to contact them. I have rang the and the receptioist sounded ok but I didn't have them courage to tell them I was really nervous. I did feel judged by my last dentist because I kept gagging.

I know I'm being silly. But I just thought if I write an email,and mention how worried i am and see if they email back, but with a different name.

thank you
 
I think the worst thing you can do is not tell them you are nervous. Draft an email explaining exactly what makes you afraid and take it with you in case it doesn't reach them. . The right dentist for you will do everything in his/her power to make you comfortable and talk through your fears. The days of grin and bear it in dentistry don't have to be anymore, but the dentist and their staff are not mind readers ...............

rp
 
Back
Top