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.
My mum hasn’t seen the dentist in 7 years, how can I make her go for the treatment that she needs?
Hi, my mum is petrified of the dentist and hasn’t been in years. Her teeth are getting awful and it’s embarrassing! She smokes too which obviously isn’t helping. I’ve tried everything to get her to a dentist. She said she’s so scared because she had her crown replaced about 7 years ago and she said the numbing injections didn’t work and she fell everything, she said it was really painful. I don’t know what to do, have you got any tips? I’ve told her that she’ll end up with gum disease/her teeth will fall out if she doesn’t go! Any advice would be great, thanks.
well firstly separate out the smoking from the teeth !!!
Your mum has to want to do this for herself , and threatening gum disease may not be the way to get her to do it.
Perhaps you could ask her how she might see herself in 5 years if she continues to avoid the dentist , how might that affect her life ?
Finding out what the situation really is is the first step , and doesn’t commit a person to doing anything other than that .
perhaps she might be able to have a professional cleaning first to gain some confidence .
Its also important to tell a dentist that you have had an incident when the numbing hasn’t worked . Its better to have treatment when you are not in pain and is planned rather than wait for the inevitable emergency which becomes fraught with fear and anxiety .
Hope this helps her get started
Jenny
