What Is Dental Fear And How To Overcome It
Going to the dentist isn’t something people generally like to do. Even basic cleanings and checkups can be unpleasant. And if you’re going in for a cavity or root canal, the experience can be downright terrifying. Being nervous about going to the dentist and not enjoying the experience is considered normal. But a part of the population, between 9% and 20%, have a full-blown phobia of going to the dentist. This is also called dental fear. It’s a very real problem that can have a direct impact on the quality of life of many individuals.
Causes
There are a number of causes of dental anxiety. Some of these causes include past negative experiences at the dentist office, fear of pain, fear of needles, feeling of helplessness, and so forth. Some people are more prone to have a dentist phobia than others. Often, this phobia will encompass more than just the dentist. For example, a fear of needles will also manifest itself in almost any medical practice.
Symptoms
The symptoms of dental anxiety are varied. One of the biggest symptoms is avoidance. People will simply avoid the dentist office until they are forced to go because of severe tooth pain or other dental problems. Others will experience anxiety, sleeplessness the night before, and feeling physically ill.
What Can Be Done To Help Dental Phobia?
More and more dental practices are aware of dental phobia and are trying to help people overcome their fears. Often distractions are offered, such as television or music, to help patients take their minds off the dental work being performed. Patients also have the option of a sedative, usually nitrous oxide (also known as laughing gas). Nitrous oxide will relax a patient to the point where the patient no longer cares about what is happening and might experience pleasurable side effects like euphoria. There are other sedatives available as well, including anti-anxiety medications. Anyone who suffers from dental phobia should discuss this with the dentist office when making an appointment so the dentist can make extra time to help ease the patient’s fears. You can set up an appointment to simply meet with the dentist without doing any dental work just to talk about the anxiety that is being experienced.
Dental fear is a very real phobia that can have dramatic negative effects on a person’s life. Getting help with this problem can greatly reduce the anxiety and even help the patient overcome their fears. Contact us today to book an appointment and discuss how to make your treatments more comfortable if you are experiencing dental phobia.