Nervous Patients: Dental Care When You Are Anxious About the Dentist
For anyone looking for a nervous patient dentist, or who feels anxious or scared of the dentist, including people who have stayed away for years. It explains dental anxiety and how Deepcar Dental Care adapts visits for nervous patients: a talk-only first visit, longer appointments, a stop signal agreed before treatment, numbing gel before every injection and in-house sedation on request.
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Clinically reviewed by Dr Ibraheem Ijaz, dentist · GDC 301711
Medical disclaimer: This page is for general information only. It does not replace an examination or treatment by a dentist.
What is dental anxiety?
Dental anxiety is unease or dread about going to the dentist, felt in advance of the appointment and not only in the chair. Dental fear is the reaction to a specific threat, such as a needle or the sound of a drill. Dental phobia is a more intense, persistent fear that leads people to avoid dental care, and it is a recognised, diagnosable condition.
Dental anxiety is common. In England's 2023 Adult Oral Health Survey, 15% of adults with natural teeth scored at a level suggesting extreme dental anxiety.
A review of the evidence describes approaches that help by giving back a sense of control: an agreed stop signal, tell-show-do (a step is explained, shown, then done), distraction such as music and, for severe phobia, talking therapy such as cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). Sedation is an option for people who cannot manage treatment with those approaches alone.
What if it has been years since your last dental visit?
A long gap since your last dental visit is common, and the first step back can be a conversation rather than treatment. In the 2023 survey, 35% of adults said they only went to the dentist when they had trouble with their mouth, teeth or dentures, up from 27% in 2009. Among adults who had never been or had not been for more than two years, 17% gave being afraid as a reason (22% of women, 13% of men).
Avoidance tends to keep dental anxiety going. Research on the vicious cycle of dental fear found that people who avoid the dentist are more likely to need treatment and to visit only once a problem has started, and a review of the evidence notes that more complex treatment in an emergency can strengthen the fear.
If something hurts now, or your face or gum is swollen, go to emergency dental care rather than starting with a talk-only visit. Go to A&E if the area around your eye or neck is swollen, or swelling in your mouth or neck makes it hard to breathe, swallow or speak. Do not drive to A&E. Ask someone to drive you or call 999.
When you feel ready for an examination, what happens at a dental check-up sets out the general steps. After that, check-ups become part of routine dental care at our practice, with a standard recall of 6 months for a healthy adult.
How do we adapt appointments for anxious patients?
We adapt appointments for patients with dental anxiety by booking longer slots and offering quiet appointment times on request.
An anxiety score is recorded at your first visit, and before anything starts you are given a written plan.
The practice has free parking directly outside, and it is on the ground floor and wheelchair accessible.
If hearing from other patients helps, you can read what patients say about the practice before you book.
Book a routine appointment online, or call 0114 288 2121 to ask for a talk-only first visit.
How do a stop signal and pacing help?
A stop signal is a gesture, such as a raised hand, agreed in advance so you can ask for a pause at any moment.
At Deepcar Dental Care, the stop signal is agreed with you before treatment starts. A review of the evidence links a feeling of losing control with dental anxiety, and a stop signal hands some of that control back. It also notes that a stop signal only works when it is respected, because a signal that is ignored breaks trust.
Pacing treatment also gives you control. Treatment can be broken into smaller stages, so a longer course of care does not have to happen in one sitting.
What numbing and comfort options are there?
Comfort options at Deepcar Dental Care include topical numbing gel before every injection, music or headphones, and in-house sedation on request.
Evidence suggests the gel eases the needle prick, mainly in the upper jaw, though it does not take away every sensation. A review of the evidence describes music as a useful distraction.
Sedation is also available in house, provided by Dr Ibraheem Ijaz, GDC 301711, and another sedation-trained dentist in our team. IV and oral sedation are both offered, and our page on sedation dentistry explains how it works. During sedation your breathing, oxygen level and blood pressure are monitored, and a second trained person is present throughout.
Can you bring someone with you?
Yes, if dental anxiety makes going alone hard, you can bring someone you trust into the treatment room with you.
If you are having sedation, you also need an escort for the whole day.
Frequently asked questions
Can I ask for sedation?
Yes. Sedation is arranged on request for adults aged 18 and over, after a separate pre-assessment appointment that checks it is suitable for you. You cannot drive for 24 hours afterwards. Treatments carried out under sedation include fillings, extractions and root canal treatment, and implant placement is covered on our page about sedation for dental implant treatment.
What if my child is nervous about the dentist?
A child's first visit at Deepcar Dental Care is just a look and a chat, with no treatment. Children are welcome from any age, and we usually suggest a first visit by 3. Our page on a child's first dental visit explains what that appointment involves.
What if one particular treatment frightens me?
Naming the part that worries you most is a good place to start at a talk-only first visit. In the 2009 Adult Dental Health Survey, having a tooth drilled and having an injection scored highest for anxiety. If root canal is your worry, is root canal treatment painful? answers that directly.
How easy is it to get to the practice?
Deepcar Dental Care is at 334 Manchester Road, Deepcar, Sheffield, S36 2RH. It is 15 minutes by car from Sheffield city centre and 5 minutes from Stocksbridge. The practice is open 8am to 8pm, Monday to Sunday. Call 0114 288 2121 if you have a question about getting here.
Can I book a hygiene appointment first?
Yes. A hygiene appointment can be booked directly with our dental therapist, without seeing a dentist first or registering as a patient, online through the booking portal. Appointments last 30 to 60 minutes. If you would rather start with a conversation, call 0114 288 2121 and ask for a talk-only first visit.
Book a consultation.
Online in under a minute, or call and speak to a real person.
To book a first visit where nothing is done except talking, call 0114 288 2121 and ask for a talk-only first visit.
At that first visit, treatment never starts. It is a chat to get to know you, and sedation can be offered for treatment later on. If you are new to the practice, bring a list of your medicines; your medical history can be completed online before the visit if you prefer.
Routine appointments can also be booked online through the booking portal, and registering with us explains how joining the practice works.
334 Manchester Road
Deepcar, Sheffield S36 2RH
0114 288 2121
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Opening hours
Open 8am to 8pm, seven days
Free parking at the door