Helping an individual to overcome a fear of dental surgery
Intended for healthcare professionals
Feature Previous     Next

Helping an individual to overcome a fear of dental surgery

Rob Mirow Acting lead community nurse, and specialist practitioner, counsellor and psychotherapist, Community learning disabilities team, Trafford Primary Care Trust

Rob Mirow explains how a solution-focused approach was used to help a man with challenging behaviour to cope with a fear of dental treatment and safely have his teeth extracted

Tom had rotten and painful teeth, disliked dentists and hated hospitals, yet he wantedhis teeth removed and dentures fitted. The use of solution-focused therapy and a skilled and dedicated team accompanied Tom on a challenging journey towards better dental health and improved quality of life. This article highlights how important it can be to avoid imposing ideas on clients but to allow their wisdom and insight to reveal solutions to deep-seated problems.

Learning Disability Practice. 12, 3, 26-28. doi: 10.7748/ldp2009.04.12.3.26.c6992

Want to read more?

RCNi-Plus
Already have access? Log in

or

3-month trial offer for £5.25/month

Subscribe today and save 50% on your first three months
RCNi Plus users have full access to the following benefits:
  • Unlimited access to all 10 RCNi Journals
  • RCNi Learning featuring over 175 modules to easily earn CPD time
  • NMC-compliant RCNi Revalidation Portfolio to stay on track with your progress
  • Personalised newsletters tailored to your interests
  • A customisable dashboard with over 200 topics
Subscribe

Alternatively, you can purchase access to this article for the next seven days. Buy now


Are you a student? Our student subscription has content especially for you.
Find out more