How to Overcome Fear of the Dentist (Options Available in Southend & Leigh-on-Sea)

Whatever the cause of your phobia, it’s important to be able to take steps to feel more confident. If you remain afraid of the dentist, you are more likely to avoid checkups, which could mean that small dental problems become much more serious. This could lead to more extensive treatment down the line.

In this guide, we’re exploring some of the steps you might want to take to help you overcome a fear of the dentist. We’ll also include some resources available in Southend and Leigh-on-Sea to help you tackle your dental phobia with ease.

Dental phobias explained

As mentioned above, there are lots of reasons a person might be afraid of the dentist, including:

- Bad past experiences

- Fear of judgement

- Fear of losing control

- Fear of needles or dental tools

- Discomfort with personal contact

- Learned behaviour from parents or siblings

- Sensory triggers, including fear of choking

Understanding the cause of your phobia is often the best place to start, as this will allow you to explain it to your dentist. 

Finding the right dentist is the next challenge. While all dentists are trained in patient care, some will take their responsibilities in helping nervous patients even further. So if you have tried to explain your dental phobia to a dentist and this has made things worse, it could be that you just haven’t found the right dentist yet.

How the right dentist can help with dental phobia

The right dentist will help you to manage your dental phobia much more effectively. Just being aware of the thing that gives you fear can be helpful, as can an understanding ear.

For example, if your dentist knows you are afraid of needles, they can make sure you are distracted before they have to administer any injections. And if they know you worry about choking or gagging during treatment, they can ask the dental nurse to be more mindful when using suction. 

A dentist who is helpful for patients with a dental phobia is one that is curious and naturally supportive. They will be curious about what helps and what doesn’t help, and they will be naturally driven to help you overcome your fear. 

What support is available in Southend and Leigh-on-Sea?

If you are afraid of the dentist and living in the Southend or Leigh-on-Sea region, we can help. At Leigh Dental Centre, we have a team of understanding dentists and support staff who are ready to help you.

We can accommodate longer appointment times to ensure that you feel comfortable and not rushed. We can also minimise time in the dentist’s chair if this is something that causes a lot of stress. 

Another popular approach for very nervous patients would be to visit our dental hygienist as a first step. This will not only help to protect your teeth and gums, but it can also help to get you accustomed to the sensations of being at the dentist, without any worry about pain or needles. This is a popular approach to help nervous patients to regain their confidence.

For extreme cases, dental sedation may be recommended to help very nervous patients who have to undergo longer treatments. Oral conscious sedation helps patients to feel more relaxed without actually falling asleep, meaning that it is very safe and highly effective for tackling dental phobias.