You are allowed to fear the dentist. It is perfectly okay to have dental anxiety. That is shared by a whopping 8% of Americans who do not go to the dentist out of fear. For some, they have real experiences to back up this fear. For others, they get anxious about what they hear about dental visits from the media and their peers. Whatever the cause of your worries, there’s bound to be a solution to them.
You can check out IV sedation dentistry in Meridian and other cities. This is used primarily for moderate to severe dental procedures such as wisdom teeth extraction. Some patients want to be completely asleep during the procedure. This is a good option for those who are having a hard time going through a dental procedure.
The Cause of Dental Anxiety
About 20% of Americans will only go to the dentist when absolutely needed. Their fears come from bad experiences in the past. One patient, for example, had nerve damage when a dentist failed to anesthetize a back molar. This caused him never to go back to the dentist for 20 years.
In fact, some people prefer to accept the pain caused by molar decay rather than go to the dentist. The idea of sitting on the dental chair and having a dentist prod inside their mouth is unacceptable for them. Some cannot go to the dentist because of a history of substance abuse, anxiety disorders, and posttraumatic stress.
Experts say that the fear and anxiety come from the powerlessness that people feel. Imagine sitting on a dental chair with the dentist prodding on your teeth and gums. You can hardly talk or respond. You have no way of telling the dentist to stop because the pain’s too much. All you can do is mumble something inaudible.
Treating Dental Anxiety
It is up to the dentist mainly to address thefear and anxietythat their patients feel. They should create an environment in their clinic that’s conducive to dental procedures. One dentist, for example, created a man-made waterfall right inside his procedure room. This creates a soothing sound that calms and relaxes the patient.
The dentist should make an effort of explaining the procedure in detail. Showing the patients that you are in control of the procedure will make them feel safer. This should also be an opportunity for the patients to ask all the questions they want to regarding the procedure.
For patients, try to bring a friend or a family member who can take your mind off what’s about to happen. Make sure that this friend is someone who’s not equally afraid of the dentist. Otherwise, the negative vibes will turn your mood for the worse.
What many dentists don’t realize is that people have different levels of pain tolerance. They cannot dismiss the fear and anxiety of one patient just because their previous patient was a breeze. They have to listen to their patients and soothe away their worries before doing anything that makes them feel uncomfortable.
