Many are scared at the prospect of visiting the dentist. Many are terrified when they enter the dental treatment room even before the dentist brings out his equipment and instruments for any procedure that needs to be performed. Anxiety is a human reaction to situations they are not used to and may be normal in some situations. Dental phobia or dentophobia is a kind of phobia that is excessive for the situation.
Dental phobia can stem from fear of:
- Needles
- Blood
- Feeling pain
- Choking
- Noise of dental instruments
- Smell
- Anaesthetic
- The dentist
- White coat
- The dental instruments and equipment
Dental anxiety can stem from the pain the patient is experiencing, memories of a previous painful dental procedure, or what the patient has heard from others. It can also come from traumatic history (childhood abuse, etc,), feeling of helplessness, feeling of embarrassment, family history and so on.. Yet some anxiety cannot be explained. It is important to note that there are many ways of dealing with dental anxiety. It is advisable to make up one’s mind to overcome the phobia.
There are many modalities in place for patients to deal with dental anxiety. Here are some of them:
- Communicate with your dentist
- Engage in conversation with staff
- Try breathing in and breathing out before and during operation
- Try breathing with your nose and not your mouth during procedure
- Distraction
- Wear headphones to listen to music during procedure
- Guided imagery
- Hypnotherapy
- You can request anxiolytic medications or conscious sedation from your dentist before your treatment procedure
At Total Dental Care Clinic, we take measures to ensure your fears and phobia are adequately allayed so your treatment can go on smoothly. So, next time you have a dental care need, there’s is no need to postpone due to anxiety. We got you covered!
