A member recently asked about how best to manage their fear of going to the dentist, now I need to find out more from the member and once I have I'll open this up more and privde some great tips hints and advice on having a good positive realtionship with your dentist and be able to attend check ups without fear or panic. If you have any ideas or soultions please add to this topic, I'll add more later.

1. Speak to your doctor get to know some stuff about them outside of the job - once they are a person with interests and hobbies you can feel more comfortable around them.

2. Ask questions and seek clarification about the tools and exactly what will be happening during your session - the more you know the more your brain and body can relax, because you will know what will happen step by step - the unknown is always scary.

3. Have a family member - mum or dad, boyfriend, girlfriend in the room with you and have them talk to you, to distract you from what the dentist is doing.

4. Take your ipod with you, to block out the sounds whilst the dentist is conducting their check up - sometimes it is the sounds that cause the panic.

5. Schedule your visits so that they occur regularly. The more you visit the GP the more you will be at ease with the process.

6. Ask the dentist to put things on the walls - paint, wall stickers, posters, to keep you distracted and relax you as well, the more your mind has to distract and the less it has to process at once the better.

7. Brush, Floss, use mouth wash twice a day - Good Oral health will mean you don't have to see the Dentist so regularly.

8. Eating healthy food and drinking lots of water also helps with good oral health and less dentist visits.

Hope this helps I'll keep adding more and more for you and other members
Amke