Dental Helpline

read moreIf you answered 'yes' to this question, it might be comforting to learn you are not alone. Did you know that 53% of the UK population suffers from fear or anxiety when visiting the dentist. This isn't just a Britsh thing - being scared of the dentist is a worldwide problem and the numbers are similar wherever you go. Fear can take many forms, from slight nervousness to all-out panic. For mild sufferers, visiting the dentist is an unpleasant experience. But for a significant minority of acute phobics, anxiety can be intense enough to deter visiting altogether.

read moreOne of the most common reasons that people fear the dentist is the spreading of dental myths, or horror stories, from friends or colleagues. These myths can put people off visiting the dentist even if they badly need treatment. This neglect can lead to more long term and serious oral health problems, and often result in long, painful and expensive surgery. Here are some of the most common myths that you are likely to hear concerning dental fear and visiting the dentist. Your dentist will be specially trained to support and work with patients who are obviously nervous about undergoing treatment, and will have done so on numerous occasions.

read moreDentists recommend and perform routine procedures every day. At least, they are routine for the dentist. Dentists can sometimes forget that patients can be very nervous about treatments, or that a patient may not really understand what the treatment involves. If you are dental phobic, not knowing exactly what the treatment involves will probably add to your anxiety. Therefore, we've prepared a guide to the most common treatments that will hopefully help you to understand some of the most complex jargon, understand the procedures and feel more comfortable about them.

read moreOne of the difficulties for dental phobic patients is the thought that a visit to the dentist for a standard check-up may lead to more complex dental work that is lengthy, expensive and hard to endure. These Q&A articles are designed to provide you with a very brief overview of the different types of treatments and procedures that may be required if you have been avoiding the dentist for a long period of time. This article gives a breakdown of dental bridges: what are they, do you need one and what can you expect from the treatment?

read moreIf you suffer from dental phobia, it can often mean that you delay what should be fairly routine dental treatments so that, ultimately, you need even more complex dental requirements. If you avoid having a filling, your tooth may decay further and you may require a crown. So what is a crown and what is involved in having one fitted? A crown is usually recommended by dentists when the repair job required on a particular tooth is too big for a filling to be appropriate. One of the advantages of having a crown fitted is that the material is tooth-coloured and tooth-shaped - so once you have your crown in place it will look just the same as your natural teeth.

read moreIt can be confusing when your dentist recommends procedures to you. What's the difference between a bridge and an implant? And what is the difference between a crown and a false tooth? We've prepared a series of fact sheets so that, the next time you go to the dentist, you can be prepared. We've cut through the jargon, drilled past all the technical talk and explained what different things mean in a way that everyone can understand. Let's imagine for a moment that you have lost a tooth - let's say, you lost it during a game of rugby.