Dental Anxiety, Phobia and COVID

With all the changes over the last couple of years, it is no surprise that the dental system in our country has been affected as well.  Special care dentist Sean Skene explains what’s changed, and what people with dental anxiety need to be aware of in the current climate.

 

• Increased time between appointments.

The lockdowns and restrictions have been the perfect reason that some of us have used to push back our dental appointments.  Avoidance of visiting and making contact with dentist is an easy escape and we can justify all too easily hanging back whilst we ‘let the dentist catch up’ or ‘they’re too busy, let the more urgent people go first’. Maintaining our oral care is essential to so much of our enjoyment of life and delaying visiting can put us at risk.  As dentistry, and the NHS as a whole, remobilises you may find appointments are further away than previously experienced  in the years before COVID.  The longer you hold off then the further you may be placed down the waiting list when problems do occur.  I would advise you to make contact as soon as possible, but in the same breath be prepared for a wait before you can be seen.

• Safety
• With the varying information we have received over the last two years you may have been concerned with the safety of attending the dentist. Dentistry has made many alterations following the information available at the time to ensure your visit is as safe as possible.  Dentistry has always taken infection control seriously and it has been well placed to return to work safely. If you are at a higher risk then your appointments can be scheduled for times when limited numbers of people are present or have passed through the area.
• Enhanced protective equipment
• We are now no strangers to wearing a mask but you will notice that the dental world has upped the ante. With the amount of aerosols generated within the dentist, you will find that the dentist has other equipment to keep them safe.  Now for treatments other than a check up you will find them wearing larger masks, gowns, visors and other head coverings.  You will also notice that they may stay within their room and do not leave as they once did before.  All these precautions are in place to protect them and patients.  If you have concerns over someone whose face is covered or you’d like to ‘know’ the dentist a bit better feel free to look at their websites for pictures.  Putting a real face to a covered figure can help gain trust in them.
• Stress
• The general stress of all the changes we’ve had to endure over the last while has no doubt heightened our other anxieties. Our focus has been stolen and the energy we can dedicate to self care has been reduced.  Please bear this mind for the dental teams you will be contacting as well.  Many of these people will have worked through part or all of the pandemic and many dentists and their teams volunteered for other medical duties during this time.  The changes within how they work have been massive and they still continue to provide care to the best of their ability.

The recent changes to COVID regulations bring us closer to life as we remember it.  NHS and private practices are mobilised and the range of treatments available has returned to normal so please don’t hesitate and call your dentist now.

The views expressed by the contributor are not necessarily those of Anxiety UK, nor can we guarantee the accuracy of the information provided. If you would like to write a blog for AUK please email [email protected]  for more information.

For more information you can purchase our dental phobia booklet here

Photo by Atikah Akhtar on Unsplash