For a patient who is genuinely frightened of the dentist, the first few minutes in the chair set the tone for everything that follows. Get those minutes right, and a long-overdue appointment becomes manageable. Get them wrong, and the patient leaves resolving never to come back. Matt Cottam, one of the dentists at Atrium Dental in Camberley, has built his quiet reputation on those opening minutes.

Colleagues describe him as the one to book in with if dental nerves are the biggest barrier. His method is more conversational than clinical, and it starts long before any instrument is picked up.

“I won’t sort of rush into what the issues are. I’ll kind of introduce myself, have a little chat with them, find out what their history’s like, and discuss a little bit about where their fears or where their anxiety stems from.” — Matt Cottam

Why the first conversation matters most

Dental anxiety rarely comes out of nowhere. For many of Matt’s Surrey patients it traces back to a specific memory — a painful childhood appointment, a procedure that should have been numbed but was not, or simply years of feeling rushed in the chair. Understanding the root cause is the most useful thing a dentist can do in the first appointment, because it changes how the rest of the treatment is delivered.

Matt’s preferred approach is to slow everything down. He introduces himself, asks about the patient’s day, and only then begins to explore what has brought them in. The goal is to make the room feel less like a clinic and more like a conversation.

“Once patients see me as just another human and not a dentist, they feel a lot more comfortable.” — Matt Cottam

Putting yourself in the patient’s shoes

Matt is honest that calmness with anxious patients is partly natural and partly learned. He describes himself as patient by temperament, but the more important skill is empathy — actively imagining what the patient is feeling and why.

Most dental fear, he points out, comes down to one thing.

“The main thing with dentistry in general is obviously patients are worried about feeling pain. I think that’s a lot of where the fear comes from.” — Matt Cottam

Naming that fear directly, rather than ignoring it, often changes the room. Patients realise they have not just been heard but understood, which makes it much easier to agree on a way forward.

Pain-free numbing, every time

The next stage of Matt’s approach is the practical one: making sure the patient never actually feels pain. Anaesthetic technique has moved a long way, and at Atrium it is delivered to a level that surprises people who have been away from the dentist for years.

Matt’s protocol is consistent on every appointment:

• A topical numbing gel is applied to the gum before any injection.
• The local anaesthetic is given slowly and gently, so even the injection itself is not felt.
• The tooth is given proper time to become completely numb before any treatment begins.
• The patient is asked, before each step, whether they are ready to continue.

It sounds simple, but for someone whose dental memories are built around being hurt, it is transformative. By the second or third appointment, many of Matt’s patients no longer dread the chair at all.

“I find once I work with a patient once, or do some treatment with them once or twice, then they become a lot more comfortable, and they realise that it doesn’t have to be a painful place to come.” — Matt Cottam

Letting the patient set the pace

Atrium is a family practice with an unhurried rhythm, and Matt makes full use of that. A nervous patient never has to commit to a full treatment plan at the first visit. The first appointment can be a chat. The second can be a gentle examination. Treatment can begin when the patient is ready, not when the diary says they should be.

This permission to take things at their own speed is, in Matt’s view, half the work. Anxious patients who have always felt rushed in previous practices often find that simply being given control is enough to lower the temperature of the appointment.

Where stronger help is needed — for example for patients who would benefit from a longer first appointment, or those whose fear is severe — the wider Atrium team can plan accordingly. Matt’s colleague and mentor Matt Golightly has spoken openly about his own empathy with anxious and neurodivergent patients, which means the practice is genuinely set up for this kind of care across the board.

The longer arc: from dreading the dentist to feeling at home

What Matt seems to enjoy most about working with anxious patients is the change he sees over time. A patient who arrives white-knuckled at the door can, after a few visits, become someone who chats easily with the team and brings their children in for check-ups.

“I just quite enjoy that journey of bringing a patient from where they hate coming and they’re putting off their issues, to actually a place where they don’t dislike coming, and they feel comfortable.” — Matt Cottam

It is the kind of change that compounds. A patient who feels safe at the dentist comes for regular check-ups, which means smaller problems are caught earlier, which means less treatment and less anxiety in the future. The first calm appointment in Camberley quietly rewrites everything that follows.

Booking your first appointment

If dental nerves have kept you away from the dentist for months or years, Matt is one of the gentlest places to start again. Patients across Camberley, Surrey Heath and the wider Surrey area book in specifically for his calm, conversational approach.

You can read more about how Atrium looks after nervous patients in Camberley, or get in touch with the practice to arrange a first appointment with Matt. If your concern is a tooth that needs root canal treatment in particular, do say so when you book — Matt will plan the visit around your pace, not the other way around.

MEET

Matt Cottam

Dentist · BDS Birm 2020 · GDC 290331

Matt Cottam qualified from the University of Birmingham in 2020 and has since developed a special interest in endodontics, currently working toward his Master's in the field. He joined Atrium having known the practice principal, Matt Golightly, since he was a teenager — Matt G was his own dentist, first encouraged him into the profession, and has mentored him through training and into clinical life.

Known for his calm and caring manner, Matt is especially popular with nervous patients. He takes the time to get to know each person before treatment begins and uses modern numbing techniques that make procedures genuinely comfortable — many of his patients fall asleep during longer appointments. He is a strong advocate for saving natural teeth wherever possible, a philosophy that runs through his approach to root canal treatment.

Outside of dentistry, his ideal day off would be spent on a sunny golf course abroad, enjoying a relaxing round in great weather.