About 5%-20% of the population suffers from some level of Dental Anxiety (Dentophobia or Dental Phobia) – fear of dentists. Dental anxiety ranges from slight discomfort before a dental appointment all the way to physical symptoms such as increased heart rate and even stomachaches or headaches just from thinking about dental treatments, which causes the patient to avoid visiting the dentist, sometimes for periods of years (!) at a time – a decision that may lead to the deterioration of the teeth and gums over time.
Dealing With Dental Anxiety (Fear of Dentists and Dental Treatments) – Dentophobia
Why do People Suffer from Dental Anxiety?
There are several causes for dental anxiety, sometimes an unpleasant experience at the dentist’s can lead to years of anxiety – even if this experience has happened to the person suffering from anxiety, and sometimes it can even happen if this person has heard about this experience from someone else.
The fear of pain can also cause a real fear of dental treatments, sometimes the person might even prefer to put up with dental pain to avoid the pain of jabbing the local anesthetic injection before undergoing treatment to treat that dental pain.
Other reasons are the feeling of helplessness, not knowing exactly what’s happening in your mouth, the noise of the dentist’s tools, and more. And, unfortunately, kids who see their parents suffering from dental anxiety (dentophobia) develop this similar anxiety themselves, even if the only experience they’ve had with dentists is seeing their parents go through it.
Dental Anxiety Can Severely Harm Dental Health
It’s natural to feel uncomfortable before going to the dentist or undergoing a medical procedure. The problem starts with cases where the anxiety leads a person to decide not to visit the dentist, not even for routine check-ups that don’t require any treatment, because if issues aren’t handled early on, the teeth and gums condition deteriorates fairly quickly. After all, if you keep a very tight dental hygiene routine – brushing, flossing, and mouth-washing – there might still be a need for the occasional dental treatment.
And so, a person who avoids regular check-ups and simple treatments, might find themselves in the same clinic with severe pain and having to undergo complex, longer and more expensive treatments.
So, How Can You Get Over Dental Anxiety?
First of all, it is important to choose a great dentist in Jerusalem – one who you have great chemistry with, and that makes you feel like you know what’s happening at every stage of the treatment.
You should also know that new technological developments keep improving the dentistry field thanks to innovative techniques and equipment – which makes the treatments more efficient and faster, so the time you have to spend sitting on the chair gets shorter and shorter all the time.
Additionally, there are new methods to deal with dental anxiety (dentophobia) which involve anesthesia using equipment that enables the process to be almost painless. Some of the methods in our clinic involve laughing gas or taking a valium about one hour prior to the treatment (but in that case, you have to arrive at the clinic with a chaperon). Moreover, Dr. Heisler suggests bringing your own set of headphones or earphones to listen to your favorite music throughout the treatment.
