What is dental phobia?

Dental phobias and general anxiousness when visiting your dentist are more common than you might think. In fact, up to 80% of our new patients admit to feeling apprehensive about attending their first check-up. Whether it’s been a while since your last visit or the sounds and smells of the dentist bring back bad memories from when you were a child – we’ve heard it all at AP Smilecare and always do our best to help.

Finding the right solution at AP Smilecare

Dental phobias are best described as an intense fear of going to the dentist – so much so that people put off visiting their dentist for years and suffer the consequences. With all of our services – from regular consultations to fillings and tooth whitening – we always do our best to keep you informed. We’ll explain the whole process from start to finish and will be happy to answer any of your questions and address your concerns. While this approach is enough for most of our patients, it’s not always the perfect remedy for all. That’s why we have launched our brand new Private Sedation Clinic – helping you to get the dental treatment you need without your phobia and nerves getting in the way.

dentists looking down on patient

If you decide to opt for sedation at our clinic, at a fee of £150, you’ll be relieved of anxiety almost immediately. While you’ll still be awake during your appointment, you won’t be about to remember much about the procedure afterwards. Patients are usually sedated using the ‘gas and air’ method and will need to stay in the clinic for up to 30 minutes after the appointment, to allow for the sedation to wear off completely.

Our other brand new service, hypnosis, is a more budget-friendly option at £75. Hypnosis is based on getting you to stop focusing on how you feel internally and helps you to relax and rationalise your own conscious beliefs. It keeps you calm and helps you in some way to work your way through your anxieties.

Other tips to help you get over your fear

Aside from our new services, there are plenty of ways you can help yourself:

Always be up front with your dentist about how you feel. If you tell our dental team that you’re nervous, we’ll always do our best to help you.

Think about things you can do to help you to relax. Would bringing along a supportive friend help? Or perhaps you could listen to music during the appointment if you think that will provide a good distraction. Some clients also like to think about something else in their head – for example, solving a puddle or doing their own mindfulness meditation.

dentist patient in chair