A little bit of apprehension is normal before going to see the dentist, but if your fear or anxiety affects your oral health and is preventing you from setting up an appointment, you’re not alone. Around 5-10% of Ozzies completely avoid seeing a dentist out of fear, while 20% are worried enough that they will only seek dental treatment only when absolutely necessary.

Being scared of the dentist is usually down to:

• Loss of control. Some patients feel like they have no control when lying down on a dental chair while the dentist hovers above their heads and probes inside their mouths.
• Pain. Fear of pain is very common, especially those who have a low pain threshold.
• Embarrassment. Many people feel ashamed or embarrassed of their smile due to previous trauma or oral issues. It’s bad enough when a friend or coworker notices, but a dentist will see everything!
• Past experience. Some patients have had a previous bad experience. Maybe there were complications, or unexpected treatments, or maybe their dentist was not the right fit for them.

Overcoming Dental Fears

Here are some tips to help you get over any anxiety.

Technology

The technology and procedures for treatment is a lot more advanced compared to a few years back. We even have options to reduce any pain to an absolute minimum. Horror stories you heard from your parents are things of the past. Dr. Yap‘s goal is to help you keep your teeth in the best shape possible, so it’s in all our best interests to ensure you get the treatment you need in a safe and comfortable manner.

Recognize Your Fears and Talk With a Dentist

To better understand your feelings and address them, you need to come into terms with your anxiety or fear of going to the dentist. Write your fears down, so that you can talk about them better. Listing your fears will not just help you recognize them, but also aid your dentist in explaining what’s causing your anxiety or phobia and helping you deal with it.

The foundation of any good doctor-patient relationship is communication. Before you set an appointment for treatment, come in and sit down with Dr. Yap. Talk about your apprehensions, fears, and anxiety. We’ll be able to better understand your situation and tailor an action plan best suited for your needs. It’s quite common across adults, so we’ll come up with cues and signals if you want to take breaks or stop the treatment if you get uncomfortable.

Relaxation Techniques

Relaxation exercises can help you stay calm during treatment. One of the ways you can relax is through controlled breathing, which involves taking a big breath and letting it out very slowly. This will help relax your muscle and slow your heartbeat. Often a weighted blanket will help to reduce stress.

Distractions

Distractions can help focus your attention on other things besides your treatment. Some of the ways to take your mind off the procedure are watching TV, listening to music, using a stress ball.

Bring a Friend

Having someone like a friend or family member with you during the visit can offer an extra layer of support and assurance. Bring someone along who doesn’t have any fears about going to the dentists. Morning appointments are better so you won’t find yourself worrying about what might happen all day long.

Sedation Dentistry

Sedation is offered to keep you calm and relaxed during treatment. Some sedatives include local anaesthetic, happy gas, and oral or IV sedation. You can discuss these options with our dentist before any appointments.

A visit to the dentist is not as bad as you think, because its goal is to keep your oral health in the best possible condition. Call Dr. Yap‘s office, speak with one of our friendly staff and schedule a free consultation.

On the 8th of May, the Australian Health Protection Principal Committee (AHPPC) has now approved the move from Level 2 to Level 1 for dental service restrictions. The great news here is that all dental treatments are allowed, including general, restorative and cosmetic procedures.

Check & Clean Appointments

Many of our valued patients missed their regular check-up and clean because of the restrictions with COVID-19, but it is important to remind you to schedule an appointment to get you back to the routine of optimum oral health.

If we had to cancel your appointment recently, we will endeavour to contact you to reschedule your appointment, or feel free to ring us at one of the phone numbers above.

Your Safety

To assure the safety of everyone in the practice – patients and staff alike – we will still be screening patients. As you know, we have always been very strict when it comes to sterilisation and disinfection even before COVID-19 and we will continue to do so to provide the cleanest and safest space to provide your dental treatment.

Once again, we are open and are now accepting appointments for ALL dental care including preventative, restorative and cosmetic services. If we had to cancel your appointment and you would like schedule one in now, ring our office and we’ll fit you in as soon as possible.

To our loyal patients at Odin House Dental Surgery,

It is with great pleasure and relief that following yesterday’s National Cabinet Meeting, dental restrictions were lifted from Level 3 back to Level 2. What this essentially means is that we are back in business! You will now get to see your same favourite dentist and the rest of the team.

Of course, there are still precautions and rules that we have to strictly adhere to. As usual, our team’s main priority is to assist and provide you with all your dental needs in the safest way possible during this COVID-19 pandemic.

Please feel free to call the surgery so that we can make the right assessment and make you an appointment.

We have already started contacting some of you that already have an advanced appointment, to offer you an earlier one. If not, please contact us as soon as possible.

We thank you very much for your patience during these unprecedented times. It is thanks to the general public, who have done all the right things, that we have successfully flattened the curve, hence where we are today.

If this favorable trend continues, we look forward to the lifting of further restrictions very soon. Until then, stay safe and look after your family. Hope to see you real soon. Keep smiling, Dr. Yap.

With a very heart that I wish to inform you that our surgery is now temporarily closed and only open for urgent or emergency care only. My staff and I have worked very hard this past week, seeing as many patients as possible. We finished off numerous dental treatments and saw many emergency patients, both our own and from other dental surgeries that have already closed.

Unfortunately, the continuing Level 3 Restrictions, now placed on all dental practices, has restricted 99% of what we can do. Sadly, that meant cancelling all non-essential services and restricting treatment to urgent and emergency dental care only as directed by the Australian Dental Association.

The ADA defines this as…

• New or recent swelling of your gums or face (within the past three to seven days).
• Severe toothache pain (on a pain scale of 1-10, a 5 or more that has lasted more than 24 hours).
• Tooth infection.
• Bleeding in your mouth that does not stop following tooth extraction or gum surgery.
• Recent trauma, such as broken tooth causing pain.

The good news is that the overwhelming majority of our patients have rebooked for a later date. On this point, I sincerely thank all our patients in trusting us with your dental care. It gives me great comfort that the majority of you still want your treatment, just postponing it for obvious reasons.

Emergency Dentistry When You Need It Most:

The last few days have been spent modifying our dental practices to be able to still answer or return your phone calls with good advice and reassurance. We are also working hard to ensure that we can work remotely.

On the most serious of dental emergencies, we may still see you. However, our number one priority is of course to ensure your and our staff safety during such procedures. Please continue to call us or email us for any dental queries. We will endeavour to get back to you as soon as possible.

Information When You Want It Most: The NEW Odin House Dental Surgery Newsletter

On the side, in conjunction with Smile Docs®, we are also working on and will publish a series of new articles called: “What Can You Do When You Can’t Get To See The Dentist”.

These are designed to give our patients valuable advice during this difficult time, when most dentists are forcibly closed. Look out for them. We will have as many topics as possible and will publish them regularly. I will also update all our patients regularly with emails and videos. This is an unprecedented crisis. We are making new rules as we go, to ensure that we are all safe and come out on the other side, healthy and stronger.

I thank you very much, our dearest patients, for your understanding, patience and support. I urge everyone to come back and support us, when this is all over, for the best dental service that you are all accustomed to. Till then, stay safe, be kind to one another and look after your love ones.