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Expert answers

We know how daunting dental treatment can be. Our Dental Phobia certified experts are here to help ease your mind before treatment by answering your questions.

How Can I Get Through Root Canal Treatment with Dental Phobia?

I suffer from dental phobia but am able to cope by going regularly and can cope with routine fillings and short appointment. However, I need a re-treatment for root canal, which I have been told takes 2 hours. I struggled with the one hour appointment when the tooth was originally done and got very panicky half way through. I don’t know how to cope with this length of time and presume it cant be broken down into more manageable times. The alternative is to have the tooth out, which I am more terrified about. I am so worried about feeling faint and panicky during the procedure.

It might be able to be done in two visits rather than one, but it really d... Read more

Answer provided by: Dr Jennifer Pinder Retired

What Can You Do To Help Patients with Dental Phobia?

Hi, I’m wondering if you can help me with a few things? I have a phobia of the dentist and haven’t been in a very long time and I am starting to lose teeth. What do you do to help people like me? And what are the prices please of a consultation? Do you put people to sleep if they need teeth removing?
I had a horrible experience with a dentist where I needed a top tooth removing and they left half of it stuck in, so it’s rotting and swollen. My pain is out of this world but I am so scared to come again and have something like this happen again. I am that terrified that I have done two fillings myself. Please help me.

Well the good thing is that you are asking for help. I am based in the Cit... Read more

Answer provided by: Dr Jennifer Pinder Retired

How Can I Get Over My Fear of Bristles?

I have spent the last 22 years avoiding brushing my teeth because (as strange as this sounds) the sound of the bristles touching my teeth turns me into a cringing mess, to the point where I go completely weak and even my legs want to give in from underneath me. Even the adverts on TV have the same effect and as a result I cannot teach my daughter to brush her teeth and to be honest, I would not like to show her how it makes me feel in case she starts to copy me. For years I kept it to myself and ignored my teeth and tried not to show them in public out of embarrassment. Obviously this couldn’t go on forever and being 29 now my teeth are so bad that most are not far past saving. I’ve just been having them removed one by one by emergency dentists as they start to cause pain. It’s got to the point my teeth are so far gone and I’m running out of teeth, so I’m going to need dentures to replace all the teeth so I can actually eat. Also, my dentist keeps telling me I need to start brushing them, otherwise the work he is doing is pointless. It’s been years since I tried talking about my phobia of bristles, as I felt that I would feel and look rather stupid trying to explain this to him and have got to the point where I really need to address this issue once and for all, before I have to drink my meals. Any advice you could give would be much appreciated. Thanks in advance.

The issues here are in two parts .The first is that you think that all you... Read more

Answer provided by: Dr Jennifer Pinder Retired

Is it Normal to Feel Pain After a Root Canal Procedure?

I am currently in the middle of root canal. It has been cleaned and washed out with bleach solution. I am still getting some pain, although it’s nowhere near as bad as before, from the tooth and am terrified that I have an abscess and it’s going to spread. I feel so scared I’m making myself feel sick. Is it normal to still get some pain? The dentist has said it’s complicated because the root is curved and I may need a specialist if he can’t fix it.

Yes, you can get some pain still but it should diminish. You need to ask y... Read more

Answer provided by: Dr Jennifer Pinder Retired
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