Its the start of another new year. I guess like me you probably begin again with resolutions about being a better human being, taking more exercise, eating more healthily etc etc Which one will you make stick this year? For me last year it was to return to regular exercise. I was certainly not perfect but finished 2011 a lot fitter than I started it. So to this year......what resolution will you make a reality?
At the end of last year I asked everyone who has taken our 7 Day Beat Your Fear e-course for some feedback on it. I was quite humbled and overwhelmed by the number of people who took the time to reply sometimes in great detail about their experiences after taking the course.
What did I discover? Well nearly 75% of all people who took the course said it made it easier or made them more likely to book a dental appointment. Many people said that it really helped them to get specific about what their dental fears were and in doing so they developed an even deeper understanding of their problem.
There were suggestions that we should record some videos and make those a part of the course, this is a work in progress ( see previous blog postings ) and there were a few requests for direct 1 to 1 e-mail or telephone support for people taking the course. We hope to introduce these things during this year. For people local to us there were also request for an open night which is something that we try to do at least once every year. Watch this space!
There were some request for contact and support that extended beyond the original 7 day course too, we generally don't want to make a nuisance of ourselves in your inbox but have taken this on board.
I am really fortunate to work with a great team at Craigentinny Dental Care who constantly innovate and generate new ideas. One of our goals for this year is to continue to improve and develop the care we provide for nervous and phobic patients and the e-course too. The feedback and questionnaire replies are all fuel toour thought process and will play a big part in this so once again thanks if you took the time to reply.
Finally I would like to record my gratitude to the lovely people behind DentalFearCentral who were responsible for a significant number of people discovering the e-course that otherwise would not.
If we can help you to beat your dental fear in any way do not hesitate to get in touch via the main web site for our dental practice in Edinburgh.
Here is a happy, healthy and stress free 2012.
Sunday, 8 January 2012
Saturday, 10 September 2011
Too Scared To Even Visit The Dentist
We have just uploaded a new video to our youtube channel. It describes how you can go about easing your wab back into dental care using a 3 step process that we have evolved over time at our dental practice in edinburgh.
The video is around 3 minutes long and will let you know how we can help you even if you don't feel up to a visit to see us in person yet. Here it is .......
or if you cant see it in your browser click here.
if you would like to get in touch for a chat after reading this just e-mail us from our web site or give our friendly reception team a call on 0131 669 2114.
Have a great week
The video is around 3 minutes long and will let you know how we can help you even if you don't feel up to a visit to see us in person yet. Here it is .......
or if you cant see it in your browser click here.
if you would like to get in touch for a chat after reading this just e-mail us from our web site or give our friendly reception team a call on 0131 669 2114.
Have a great week
Thursday, 1 September 2011
New Study Shows - Dental Fear Can Be Beaten Without Sedation
It has been my long held belief that for many, if not most patients suffering from Dental Phobia or Dental Fear that treatment under sedation should be kept in reserve as the solution of last resort. My view is based on our experiences helping people with dental fear and phobia in our dental practice in Edinburgh over the last 20 years. The concern I have with sedation is simply that when you are sedated you will remember nothing of the process. Now on the face of it sounds good, however the downside is that your subconscious never has the opportunity to learn from the experience so you remain dependent on sedation to have treatment carried out. If you then ever are in a situation where you require dental care and sedation is not available then you will have to face your fears with no priorpreparation, which is not in my view a great plan.
A study published in this months British Dental Journal has provided me with some evidence that we are thinking along the right lines in this regard. The study looked at a group of patients who underwent Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to help with dental phobia around 10 years ago. The results were fascinating, of the patients who underwent the CBT 95.2% were able to undergo dental treatment without sedation after treatment with CBT. What was even more amazing to me is that after 10 years 100% of these patients continued to be able to receive dental care without sedation.
While one would hesitate to call this a "cure" for dental fear, this study certainly suggests that it comes very close. To return to my original point interestingly less than 5% of all patients needed sedation after receiving some professional help with their dental anxiety.
Many people are resistant to theidea of any knd of "therapy" in the UK however this is a concept that is becoming out dated. Just as logging on to an online forum to share experiences with others in a similar situation can help, CBT should be seen as just one of the many tools that you can be used to help overcome your dental fears.
Let me know what you think?
Have a great week
A study published in this months British Dental Journal has provided me with some evidence that we are thinking along the right lines in this regard. The study looked at a group of patients who underwent Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) to help with dental phobia around 10 years ago. The results were fascinating, of the patients who underwent the CBT 95.2% were able to undergo dental treatment without sedation after treatment with CBT. What was even more amazing to me is that after 10 years 100% of these patients continued to be able to receive dental care without sedation.
While one would hesitate to call this a "cure" for dental fear, this study certainly suggests that it comes very close. To return to my original point interestingly less than 5% of all patients needed sedation after receiving some professional help with their dental anxiety.
Many people are resistant to theidea of any knd of "therapy" in the UK however this is a concept that is becoming out dated. Just as logging on to an online forum to share experiences with others in a similar situation can help, CBT should be seen as just one of the many tools that you can be used to help overcome your dental fears.
Let me know what you think?
Have a great week
Monday, 11 July 2011
What Happens At My First Dental Fear Visit
Over the last few weeks I have been chatting to a lot of my patients at our dental practice in Edinburgh about, the "hurdles" that they had to overcome in beating their dental fear. There are clearly a number of road blocks to be passed and it is interesting that many people tell me that overcoming the first roadblock of simply making contact is often the hardest part. However the next major hurdle can be the first visit to the practice so here is a little video where I chat about a typical new patient consultation.
This video comes with Dental Fear "U" rating......suitable for all! there are no dentists or team members in dental outfits and no dental equipment shown. Just me talking to myself and feeling a bit self conscious in our hallway! Just click the image below to see it on You Tube
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This video comes with Dental Fear "U" rating......suitable for all! there are no dentists or team members in dental outfits and no dental equipment shown. Just me talking to myself and feeling a bit self conscious in our hallway! Just click the image below to see it on You Tube
Tuesday, 21 June 2011
Hope & Help With Dental Injection Fear
Reports hit the press this week reporting on some research that is being done on dental anaesthetics to make them more comfortable. At present some of the more commonly used anaesthetics are acidic, which can mean at point of first contact you can feel a little discomfort. The acidity is caused by some of the preservatives used to keep anaesthetic effective while it is waiting to be used.
The new development involves a special cartridge that will mix 2 parts of the anaesthetic together just before use thus doing away with the need for a preservative. Sadly researchers think it will be a few years before this makes its way out of the laboratory and into our hands in practice.
In the mean time here are the things that we already know can help to make injection pain a thing of the past.
1. Using lots of surface anaesthetic gel…..my favourite is bubble gum flavour!
2. Warming the anaesthetic to body temperature – makes for a more comfortable injection
3. Injecting very very slowly… this way the anaesthetic soaks in- believe me the first time someone gives you a really slow injection you will know the difference immediately.
4. Using techniques that allow us to avoid the most sensitive areas- there are many ways of numbing a tooth up so if you are someone who normally feels it a lot, tell your dentist and they can try an alternative approach.
Finally we know that in a heightened state of anxiety we often experience pain vividly more than we do when we are relaxed...... so a great self help tool is to start working on self relaxation techniques well before your visit. This way when you are with the dentist you can use some of these techniques to reduce and control your anxiety levels. If you need any suggestions or ideas just get in touch.
The new development involves a special cartridge that will mix 2 parts of the anaesthetic together just before use thus doing away with the need for a preservative. Sadly researchers think it will be a few years before this makes its way out of the laboratory and into our hands in practice.
In the mean time here are the things that we already know can help to make injection pain a thing of the past.
1. Using lots of surface anaesthetic gel…..my favourite is bubble gum flavour!
2. Warming the anaesthetic to body temperature – makes for a more comfortable injection
3. Injecting very very slowly… this way the anaesthetic soaks in- believe me the first time someone gives you a really slow injection you will know the difference immediately.
4. Using techniques that allow us to avoid the most sensitive areas- there are many ways of numbing a tooth up so if you are someone who normally feels it a lot, tell your dentist and they can try an alternative approach.
Finally we know that in a heightened state of anxiety we often experience pain vividly more than we do when we are relaxed...... so a great self help tool is to start working on self relaxation techniques well before your visit. This way when you are with the dentist you can use some of these techniques to reduce and control your anxiety levels. If you need any suggestions or ideas just get in touch.
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
Dental Fear Open Night, Edinburgh
Just a final quick invitation to our Dental Fear Open Night
Beating dental fear is all about taking the first step and we are committed to helping as many people as possible do just that. So if you or someone you caer about suffers from dental fear why not join us tomorrow evening from 7:00pm
Enjoy a glass of wine or a soft drink and have an informal chat with one of our team. We are happy to talk teeth or not if you would prefer. No one here will find your fears unusual or funny. On all matters dental you are welcome to speak to our dentists or one of our experienced nurses if you would prefer.
More information on http://www.craigentinny.co.uk/Open
Beating dental fear is all about taking the first step and we are committed to helping as many people as possible do just that. So if you or someone you caer about suffers from dental fear why not join us tomorrow evening from 7:00pm
Enjoy a glass of wine or a soft drink and have an informal chat with one of our team. We are happy to talk teeth or not if you would prefer. No one here will find your fears unusual or funny. On all matters dental you are welcome to speak to our dentists or one of our experienced nurses if you would prefer.
More information on http://www.craigentinny.co.uk/Open
Sunday, 3 April 2011
I have a Fear Of Dental Pain - " I can't get numb"
We chat to our new patients in some detail about the origin of their fears. Among our team we meet regularly to share our ideas and learning too. It was one such meeting with John Booth the other partner at my dental practice in Edinburgh that led to this posting
Many patients at have told us that they felt that their fears and even any pain that they were experiencing were being dismissed by their dentist in the past.
The subtext of the conversation being something like “ I have given you 2 injections and yet you are still saying it is sore, you must be numb, please stop acting up and let me get on with your treatment”
Now very often these are NOT the actual words that have been spoken to a patient but it is the message that they have perceived from their dentist or dental team indirectly. Any exchange like this can leave you feeling as though you are being judged as lacking in moral fibre or are making a fuss about nothing. What's more it may even encourage you to be quiet and try to tough it out.............. this is the wrong thing to do.
It strikes me when I meet someone with dental fear who reports this sort of history that quite possibly the reverse is true of what my dental colleagues in the past have perceived or inadvertently conveyed. It is not a lack of moral fibre or the desire to make a fuss that leads to someone experiencing pain. There can actually be very good reasons why someone is difficult to get numb and rather than expressing frustration, it is our job to work out what that reason is and so something about it.
For example. some people may simply be far less sensitive to the usual local anaesthetic that we use, and so is much more likely to feel pain when dental work is being carried out. Others take much longer for the anaesthetic to take effect or simply need a different anaesthetic to the one we normally use. There are always solutions to these problems.
Persistently painful visits will destroy your dental confidence so it is critical that your dental team work to finding a strategy that allows you to enjoy pain free dentistry.If every dental visit results in pain then, it is little wonder that you become increasingly (and understandably) anxious before each visit and ultimately want to avoid the dentist until a problem occurs. This is human nature in action, we all avoid stuff we don't like.
If you suffer from dental fear, I genuinely believe that the single most important thing that a dentist can do is help you develop a great prevention routine. With this in place the volume and frequency of dental treatment that you need will reduce in the long term.
If problems do occur we have to make each individual patient feel as comfortable as possible. Generally I find that once we work out how to make dentistry pain free, then the “recipe” can be applied at all future visits.
Good local anaesthetics, careful techniques and lots of open two way communication all help to make treatment visits as comfortable as possible. Comfortable and dare I say relaxed visits are the best way to help overcome dental anxiety and fear in the long term.
There are still situations where it can be difficult to get someone as numb as they need to be, but in my view modern dentistry should be pain free. If for whatever reason your treatment cannot be made painless on a given day then there are very few situations that I can think of where pressing on regardless is a good idea.
Dentists as a profession need to overcome our biggest hurdle: preconceptions about our patients and what they experience during visits to see us. When we can do this, listen, observe and generally be attuned to what our patients are experiencing then I think we begin to have a chance at understanding how big a deal dental fear is for many of our ”anxious” patients.
-As a final add on to tonights posting I hope you will forgive a shameless plug for our
Beat Your Dental Fear Open Night on 27th April
Details are in my last blog posting
The event is entirely free and we would love to meet you in person. register here to attend
Have a great week
Fraser
Many patients at have told us that they felt that their fears and even any pain that they were experiencing were being dismissed by their dentist in the past.
The subtext of the conversation being something like “ I have given you 2 injections and yet you are still saying it is sore, you must be numb, please stop acting up and let me get on with your treatment”
Now very often these are NOT the actual words that have been spoken to a patient but it is the message that they have perceived from their dentist or dental team indirectly. Any exchange like this can leave you feeling as though you are being judged as lacking in moral fibre or are making a fuss about nothing. What's more it may even encourage you to be quiet and try to tough it out.............. this is the wrong thing to do.
It strikes me when I meet someone with dental fear who reports this sort of history that quite possibly the reverse is true of what my dental colleagues in the past have perceived or inadvertently conveyed. It is not a lack of moral fibre or the desire to make a fuss that leads to someone experiencing pain. There can actually be very good reasons why someone is difficult to get numb and rather than expressing frustration, it is our job to work out what that reason is and so something about it.
For example. some people may simply be far less sensitive to the usual local anaesthetic that we use, and so is much more likely to feel pain when dental work is being carried out. Others take much longer for the anaesthetic to take effect or simply need a different anaesthetic to the one we normally use. There are always solutions to these problems.
Persistently painful visits will destroy your dental confidence so it is critical that your dental team work to finding a strategy that allows you to enjoy pain free dentistry.If every dental visit results in pain then, it is little wonder that you become increasingly (and understandably) anxious before each visit and ultimately want to avoid the dentist until a problem occurs. This is human nature in action, we all avoid stuff we don't like.
If you suffer from dental fear, I genuinely believe that the single most important thing that a dentist can do is help you develop a great prevention routine. With this in place the volume and frequency of dental treatment that you need will reduce in the long term.
If problems do occur we have to make each individual patient feel as comfortable as possible. Generally I find that once we work out how to make dentistry pain free, then the “recipe” can be applied at all future visits.
Good local anaesthetics, careful techniques and lots of open two way communication all help to make treatment visits as comfortable as possible. Comfortable and dare I say relaxed visits are the best way to help overcome dental anxiety and fear in the long term.
There are still situations where it can be difficult to get someone as numb as they need to be, but in my view modern dentistry should be pain free. If for whatever reason your treatment cannot be made painless on a given day then there are very few situations that I can think of where pressing on regardless is a good idea.
Dentists as a profession need to overcome our biggest hurdle: preconceptions about our patients and what they experience during visits to see us. When we can do this, listen, observe and generally be attuned to what our patients are experiencing then I think we begin to have a chance at understanding how big a deal dental fear is for many of our ”anxious” patients.
-As a final add on to tonights posting I hope you will forgive a shameless plug for our
Beat Your Dental Fear Open Night on 27th April
Details are in my last blog posting
The event is entirely free and we would love to meet you in person. register here to attend
Have a great week
Fraser
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