Dental and Oral Maxillofacial Psychology Service

Specialist Psychology support and intervention is available within the St George’s Dental and Oral Maxillofacial Department. This specialist psychology provision offers psychological pathways of care to individuals aged 18 and over who are undertaking dental, oral and maxillofacial treatments.

The Dental and Maxillofacial Psychology Service works alongside colleagues to provide integrated psychological care in dental and orofacial services to support patients with the psychological impact of dental and facial conditions.

Specialist psychologists work alongside orthodontists and consultant maxillofacial surgeons to offer support for any psychological concerns that may relate to a patient’s dental or surgical care. Psychological therapies are delivered as part of a multidisciplinary approach alongside other treatments.

Psychologists can sometimes be present in reviews with the surgical team. This is a routine part of the work and is in recognition of the emotional impact of undergoing surgery especially after a traumatic event has occurred.

How can a Psychologist help me?

Psychologists are health professionals who help people manage their emotional concerns. The following are some examples of how a psychologist can help:

• Decision making regarding orthognathic treatment
• Helping you feel prepared for surgery and to adjust after surgery
• Offering support for appearance concerns and the psychological impact of dental-facial conditions
• Helping to work through barriers to treatment or surgery limiting behaviours
• Support with your mental health in the event of facial injuries and/ or facial trauma
• Support with managing the psychological aspects involved in temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD) including pain and bruxism

How can I access Dental and Oral Maxillofacial Psychology Service?

If you would like to engage with a Maxillofacial Psychologist you can speak to the clinician involved in your dental, oral or maxillofacial care. Please be aware that we will get in touch with you if you consent to a referral. You may change your mind at any point, without this affecting your treatment and care.

Please note, we are only able to accept internal referrals from colleagues within the St George’s Dental and Oral Maxillofacial Department.

What happens when I am referred?

You will receive a telephone call from a psychologist to briefly discuss the referral and to answer any preliminary questions regarding psychology support. A Psychology Assessment will be arranged during which the psychologist will ask you to complete several clinical questionnaires and will talk to you about your concerns and how psychology may be able to help you. If therapy would be useful, the psychologist will arrange further appointments with you.

The first couple of appointments will be about getting to know you and is an assessment. You will have an opportunity to discuss your concerns and tell your story, and together with your therapist you can think about what you might need, whether therapy will be helpful and to explore what goals you would like to achieve.

Appointments

As the specialist psychology service is a limited resource it is important that you attend all appointments as this will help you get the most out of the support available. If you miss an appointment without letting us know about it in advance, you will be discharged from the Psychology Service.

All appointments are 50 minutes long and are usually held on a weekly basis. Appointments are offered Monday – Thursday between the hours of 9.00 – 5.00pm. Therapy is usually delivered face-face but the option of online appointments is available. If you have a preference for one of these options please discuss this with the Psychologist.

Confidentiality

The information shared during your psychology appointments is private and confidential. We use a shared clinical notes system which is accessible to all the professionals directly involved in your care. If there is something you would not like your psychologist to share with other professionals, please discuss this directly with the us. If we believe that you or someone you know may be at risk or unsafe, we have a legal responsibility to share this with the relevant professionals and agencies. In such cases we will always do our best to discuss this with you first, but this may not always be possible.

Please note we are not an emergency mental health service. We are unable to respond to any urgent mental health concerns.

If you are in a crisis, please contact your GP, call 111, Crisis Line* on 0800 028 8000 or attend your local Accident and Emergency Department.

*If you live within South-West London