Overcoming the fear of dental treatment

Is dental phobia a big problem?

12% of the population has some degree of anxiety about dentistry. Oral health has many repercussions. In addition to the obvious effects on teeth and gums, it can affect a person’s self-confidence. Sometimes people who neglect their teeth they can develop psychological problems (the person’s constantly have your hand in front of your mouth and are afraid to laugh openly. This kind of self – image, can really prevent a person develop his whole personality.

Are dental fears linked to other fears?

Most people with dental fears are only afraid of dentistry. Other people have more general fears, and fear of the dentist is just one more. A common fear is related to the fear of medical procedures in general. These people avoid injections, blood tests, and visits to doctors’ offices unless it is an extreme emergency.

A small number of patients have had previous experiences that influence their thinking or react to dentistry. Events associated with strong emotions such as fear are easy to remember. A person who gets into the dental chair and does so with a fearful state of mind can remember traumatic events from the past. In this way, the dental experience can trigger or accelerate physical reactions. Sometimes the person is not even aware that they are being affected by past situations. Once activated, these emotional and physical reactions become something closely related to dentistry. If a person has generalized anxiety or panic attacks, they may need specialized professional help to overcome these conditions, as well as dental fear.

In addition to a bad experience in the dentist’s office, are there other causes of dental phobia?

It is usually due to a false belief. Sometimes a person has an experience that leads him to want to avoid related situations and extends to the dental clinic. It’s natural. If you experience pain, we want to avoid the situation and what we do not like. Unfortunately, jokes, movies and stories about a person’s bad dental experiences can help establish the same fears. Human beings are like that. We learn things. So if we find out that a dental office is a place of pain, many of us will tend to avoid it.

Does having dental phobia cause problems in other situations in life?

Most people with dental phobia have what we call a specific phobia, and it is limited to this area. It is easy to deal with. What is seen frequently are people under 30 years of age with dental phobia because they have heard horror stories from the previous generation. We also see how parents can pass on this negative attitude to their children through misinformation.

What should a dental phobic patient look for when choosing a dentist?

Most dentists are trained to help people feel relaxed. A good dentist makes you feel that he or she really cares about you. They explain the procedures and try to help you feel relaxed. The dentist must give you a way to communicate. Look for patience, confidence and competence. Ask for recommendations. The dentist should use all methods of modern anesthesia.

What techniques are used to help patients overcome their fears of dentistry?

Three areas have to be addressed:

  • Body responses and sensations
  • What and how the person thinks
  • Patterns of behavior to avoid

Oral sedation

Fear of the dentist is a hidden phobia. Like many people, you may feel ashamed to admit your fears and even more, be afraid to face them. You may be unaware that dentistry with sedation is an option. With dentistry under sedation, it is possible to minimize fear and provide a freer and more relaxed dentistry, free of pain.

We offer oral sedation for patients with dental anxiety. He no longer has to be a captive of his dental fears. Oral sedation is safe and makes dental treatment a pleasant experience. We take our time to make you feel comfortable and safe during your visit.

Inhalation sedation

Sedation by inhalation, gas of laughter, nitrous oxide, are the different names with which this technique is known. It is considered to be the ideal method of sedation in dental clinic. It is considered to be the safest, easiest and easiest technique to apply in a dental clinic.

Its use facilitates a state of well-being, reduces the manifestations of tension of the patient and anxiety.

This technique is commonly used in many countries (United States, France, Great Britain, Denmark and Australia) for many years with great success. Countries where the development of Dentistry is extremely specialized and in which inhalation sedation is routinely used.