Dentophobia. Odontophobia. Dentist Anxiety. Whatever you want to call it, there are millions of people with at least some fear of going to the dentist. It is a very real and serious issue, but dentists continue to work hard to help people get over a lot of these fears. Here are some of the top issues patients have with the dentist.
Pain
Without question, pain is the number one fear for people when it comes to the dentist. No one wants to deal with pain, especially if they currently don’t feel any type of discomfort.
Mild discomfort and pain is always going to be there during a routine checkup. There is nothing to avoid that, but dentists overall are becoming much more sensitive to their patients and being gentle.
What people, especially older people, need to understand is that there is a lot less pain in dentistry these days. There are better techniques to handle surgeries, and patients can even ask for dental sedation or increased pain medication to avoid stressing out.
Helpless Feeling
Being in a dentist’s chair can make a person feel extremely vulnerable. Even without anesthesia, people are instructed to stay perfectly still. Not having control of a situation can be tough for a lot of people.
Unfortunately, not a ton can be done about this specifically, but building trust with a dentist helps a lot. Going to a dentist for the first time can be tough to handle because people want to know what’s going on. Once a rapport can be built, that helpless feeling fades.
Fear Of Judgement
No one likes being judged. Teeth can be a pretty sensitive topic, especially if a person goes through an injury or just hasn’t been to a dentist for a while.
What people need to remember is that a dentist is going to try to help as much as possible. The only way to improve the look of a chipped tooth is to go to a dentist. The only way to address poor brushing habits and get back on track to have a checkup every six months is to start. Teeth are only going to suffer the more they are neglected. The fear of judgement might be there now, but it will be even worse a year from now.
Needles
Having a fear of needles is not just a dentist thing. A lot of medical procedures use needles, but when looking at only dentistry, needles can be spinned as a good thing.
The most common use for needles at the dentist is to numb up a part of the mouth before a procedure. That little bit of pain helps prevent a lot more pain down the road. It might not be that easy to get over a fear of needles, but they are the good guys at the dentist.
Cost
Finally, a lot of people simply fear the dentist because of money issues. Maybe a person has no insurance. Maybe they have no idea how much things cost because they haven’t been in a long time. Again, this issue isn’t solely an issue with the dentist, but it does prevent people from going on a routine basis.
Dentistry is more affordable now than ever. Plenty of insurance companies offer great plans that include checkups, surgery coverage and more. If a person doesn’t have dental insurance, most offices offer payment plans and other methods to keep costs as affordable as possible.
Dental work might cost a person some money, but putting it off could make a minor issue cost a lot more down the road. Staying on top of check ups is the best way to avoid a super costly bill.
——
Dentists around the world are aware of that they are feared by millions of people. It is counterintuitive for the best dentists to not be as considerate as possible to reduce fear and tension for all patients. It is important to find a dentist that will listen and be open about what to expect. If a person’s anxiety can be reduced before the gloves even go on, the fear of going to the dentist will slowly fade.