08 / 02 / 2022

Aversion to the dentist – delaying treatment

Dental aversions are more common than you might think and more serious than it is apparent. It’s more than just getting nervous at your local dentist in Teddington. And even those who experience anxiety or panic attacks may not understand how much harm is really caused by avoiding a relationship with your local dental team.

Dental checkups and treatments

The complexity and invasiveness of treatment are usually dependent on what stage a problem is caught in. Early intervention is almost always cheaper and easier with better outcomes. This is the primary purpose of the six-month checkups, so the conditions can be noted when they’re in the formative stages before they show any symptoms that you would pick up on.

Dental aversions steal this opportunity by making a patient delay opportunity to the last available moment, causing them to not only fail to attend 6-month checkups but also ignore any early minor symptoms until adequately motivated by extreme discomfort. This further entrenches the association of your local clinic with being in great distress. Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon idea and certainly not helpful for those with already established dental evasions.

Half-completed procedures

Complicated procedures are usually split over multiple sessions. Often, during the first session, the symptoms are addressed, and the condition is stabilised even if the underlying cause is not resolved. This gap between the two sessions is used as an opportunity to flee, as the motivating discomfort that brought the patient to the clinic has now been resolved but the continued anxiety of attending the next session remains, putting them off completing the treatment until the condition reoccurs.

Sometimes, treatment can be picked up where it has left off, but more often than not, the treatment is delayed or neglected altogether, resulting in the loss of teeth that could have been avoided. A severely decayed tooth will also affect its neighbouring teeth and can lead to cavities across the mouth.

Thoughts and feelings

Many patients are under the assumption that the strong thoughts and feelings they have are exclusive to them and that the role of the dental team is to berate them for their routines and lifestyle, something our dentist in Teddington is all too aware of.

Our goal is to meet your needs as effectively as possible, but this cannot be done if you avoid treatment. It does not mean that dental education isn’t important, but only that we understand it has to be delivered correctly for the patient to be well-supported and move towards good dental health. People’s deepest concerns around dental care, its origin or the sense of shame are not our prerogatives to exacerbate, and we will aim to help you work through these feelings.

If you or one of your family members suffers from anxiety around dental checkups, please feel free to get in contact with our clinic. We will provide you with more information about how we can meet the needs of you as a patient. We currently have vacancies in our dentist in Teddington if you would like to register as a new patient.

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REVIEWS

N.S

“The Best Dentist. I have been a patient of Kirby dental for quite some time now. Five fixed teeth, and we are still working on perfecting my oral health (thanks, Mum, for never stopping me from eating sweets when I...”

“Dr Rajabali is a consummate professional. She makes it her duty to be aware of the current best practice. I have been lucky to have Dr Rajabali as my dentist for the last five years. All of the work she...”

“Kirby is an exceptional dental practice. Everything is as it should be. The receptionist is lovely and Farah, my dentist, is excellent. She's caring, thorough and clearly an expert in what she does. I feel very safe in her hands....”

“In every detail, the Kirby Dental Practice must receive top rating. Farah and the staff are all very friendly and welcoming and the level of attention given is the best I and my wife have ever experienced. All dental procedures...”

“I am so grateful I found Farah. What an amazing dentist. So professional and thorough and more importantly so gentle. I was very nervous changing dentist due to my last dentist retiring but I felt so safe and so well...”

4.9

Kirby Dental Practice

4.9

John Cooke

20:14 06 Oct 24

Highly recommended.I have been visiting Kirby Dental for about three years, and Dr Farah is very skilled and has good attention to detail and always explains clearly what she is doing and what needs to be done with all options and costs explained clearly.I have also had treatment with Dr Keiron, who is also highly skilled and professional.I have never felt anxious about visiting Kirkby dental and have always been greeted with a warm welcome.All in all, this is the best dental practice I have ever visited and would not hesitate to recommend to anyone looking for a new dentist who are experts at what they do.

Antonia Mudunkotuwe

11:16 02 Sep 24

Highly recommended. Always get a friendly and professional service here starting with Louise on reception, then the nursing team, Esti the hygienist and finally Keiron now our family dentist. He always takes time to listen to concerns, offer choices and doesn’t push unnecessary treatments. Has a good rapport with the teenagers too!

Anna Green

15:47 07 Aug 24

Brilliant experience during my check-up with Keiron today, who took the time to listen to my concerns and really explain everything in layman’s terms. The lady at reception is also super warm and friendly.I am usually a nervous patient but the professional, personable and thorough service put me at ease today, would highly recommend. Thanks all! X

Annette Musgrove

14:10 07 Aug 24

Such a lovely dental practice to deal with. From Louise who looks after appointments and deals with all my queries to the professional dental team - everybody wants to ensure you have a good experience as possible visiting the dentist and hygenist. Thank you for looking after me so well. Highly recommended

Philip Wilcock

08:31 15 Jul 24

I had a range of dental work done by Saara at Kirby Dental practice. This included root canal, crowns and fillings. Saara has been a brilliant dentist and the results have been excellent. I also used the hygenist service which was the best I have ever had. I would highly recommend Kirby Dental Practice

Michael Galvin

17:15 01 Jul 24

Been attending Kirby since last year. The staff are all professional, really nice and very good at what they do. I’ve had two of the best teeth cleans of my life here. Both my partner and I have had different hygienists at Kirby’s and we are both very impressed with the attention to detail and gentleness of the cleans.

Julian Plant

14:17 24 Jun 24

🌟 **Wonderful Experience at Kirby Dental in Teddington!** 🌟Now I'm getting on a bit, finding a dental clinic that truly understands my needs is crucial. I recently visited Kirby Dental in Teddington and was thoroughly impressed with their exceptional service and care.**Highlights:**- **Gentle Care:** The staff treated me with such kindness and patience, making sure I was comfortable throughout my visit.- **Expertise:** The dentists are highly knowledgeable and Keiron took the time to explain my treatment options clearly. I felt confident and well-informed.- **Accessibility:** The clinic is easy to navigate, with thoughtful accommodations for seniors.-**Customer Service:** The reception staff is super friendly and efficient. Booking an appointment was a breeze, thanks Louise!- **Clean Environment:** The clinic is immaculate, which gave me peace of mind about hygiene and safety.A special thank you to Dr. Keiron for the gentle and thorough examination. My teeth feel fantastic, and I am grateful for the personalized care.If you are a senior looking for a caring and professional dental clinic in Teddington, I highly recommend Kirby Dentists. They truly go above and beyond! 🦷✨#Teddington #SeniorCare #DentalHealth #KirbyDental #HappySmile

penny welch

18:22 21 Jun 24

I have been putting off a fairly routine appt with this dentist for a couple of years now. The lovely, kind Louise or the lovely Yamala makes me an appt. I then usually cancel with some excuse…. Although the last time was genuine… today I managed to pluck up the courage to attend my appt. Being a child of the 60’s and 70’s… my experiences with dentists at that time has left me with a massive phobia! Sara and Anna are amazing. They could see I was very, very nervous and put me at ease. The dental work was done quickly and painlessly. They explained everything. I also had a hygienist appt. Esti, again, is amazing. Everyone was so kind and patient with me. I will be staying with themforever !!!! Thank you to all the lovely ladies who work there. Xx

Eyabo Macauley

08:03 03 Jun 24

This was my son's first trip to the dentist and it couldn't have gone any better. We received a warm welcome from the moment we stepped in and Dentist Kieron took his time to make him feel comfortable and spoke in a way that he understood. Very happy with my choice.

Andy Gill

19:25 27 May 24

Joined Kirby Dental practice last August after long gap in dental visits.Impressed with very efficient initial reviews, treatments and development of agreed action plan, subsequent service involving wisdom removal and periodontology.Always very polite, clear explanations of what is going on and good communications re appointments.Recommended by me.

Antonia Huber

11:37 07 May 24

One of the best dentists I have ever been to, utterly thorough, very caring and really professional. Highly recommend!

Gemma Parmar

12:13 03 May 24

I've been coming to this practice for nearly two years and have experienced great service by the team. The receptionist, Louise, is really helpful and seems to genuinely care about the patients. The team are also great about following up and checking in after things like extractions or emergency appointments. Highly recommend!

Maria Ireland

09:54 23 Apr 24

I had an excellent experience with the Kirby Dental Practice in Teddington, no fuss to make an appointment, very professional service, affordable and also can arrange credit if you need to.Cheryl and her helper were there to do the job the least distressful as they could, very conscious of my fears and worries, and The repair of my tooth worked! Very efficient and honest.Thanks so much. I have now a Dental practice I can trust.

mark h

21:32 22 Mar 24

Super friendly and high-level service by everyone I've had contact with - Louise on front desk, Prabha the hygienist and Saara the dentist. Nice, clean and easily-accessed practice. Really glad to have joined.

Julia

20:07 11 Nov 23

I was always afraid of the dentist, but Dr Cheryl is so nice and gentle. She has explained everything in great detail! I really recommend Kirby Dental Practice!

Laz Baz

09:48 08 Nov 23

This is one of the best practice I have been to. Louise is kind and friendly. Keiron is an amazing dentist who knows what he is doing. It was the most thorough examination I have had and every detail was explained to me. He gave me the options for treatments that I needed clinically and cosmetically which I really appreciate as many practices I have been to in the past would not explain both. Thank you to the team. I will be revisiting for treatment soon.

NISHA KSHETRI

22:09 07 Nov 23

I recently changed my dentist to Kirby Dental Practice, and I couldn’t be any happier. Everything about the clinic and team makes you feel calm and comfortable. The process of booking is easy, and the initial analysis I had on my teeth was thorough and transparent. Thank you, Dr. Keiron and the team!

Tinny

11:35 07 Nov 23

I'm very anxious when i visit the dentist, but Dr Thompson made me feel at ease and comfortable by talking to me through what was going to happen. He was very calm and patient with me. Would definitely go back for further treatments.

Emma Bellairs

09:52 19 Sep 23

I honestly cannot recommend Kieran and the team at Kirby Dental highly enough. I had some extensive cosmetic dental work done by Kieran and I am over the moon with the results. Kieran is highly professional and knowledgeable whilst also being extremely calm and considerate at all times. It was the most comfortable I’ve ever felt in a dentists chair! Thank you for helping me to smile with confidence again!

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Aversion to the dentist – delaying treatment

TREATMENT FINDER

08 / 02 / 2022