Dentophobia, or fear of dentists, is a fairly common problem. It can manifest itself in both mild and severe forms. This fear leads to the fact that a person avoids visiting a doctor, exacerbating dental problems. We will talk about how to overcome the fear of the dentist in this article.
Why is there a fear of the dentist?
Some 30-40 years ago, dentistry wasn’t what it is today. Firstly, there were no private offices, but only state polyclinics. Secondly, there were several chairs in the offices, so when crossing the threshold, a person already saw the “pain and suffering” of another patient. And that in itself was worrisome. Thirdly, the sound of the rattling drill sounded loud and intimidating, reverberating throughout the body.
And what did the procedure for removing dental deposits cost – it was done with hooks, and not with ultrasound as it is today. And all this was relatively recent. What can we say about even earlier times, when the only treatment for teeth was its removal. No wonder why people have developed a phobia towards dentistry.
What are we afraid of right now?
It would seem that today everything is completely different: bright offices, comfortable chairs, modern equipment, several types of anesthesia, but people are still haunted by fear. And there are reasons for that:
Negative experience in the past
You may have had a tooth treated at some time and it hurt. It could have been in childhood, but the incident is so strongly imprinted in your memory that it still does not let you go. You can gradually overcome this fear of the dentist, more on that later.
Fear of embarrassment
Some people have an increased gag reflex as a reaction to a foreign body in their mouth. Therefore, a person who knows about his problem is afraid that “something will go wrong” and he will be disgraced in front of the doctor. This fear is extremely rare, but still occurs. And if the one who is reading this article now recognizes himself in this paragraph, you should know that you are not alone. You can get rid of this kind of stomatophobia with the help of sedation.
Fear of losing teeth
If a person suffers a toothache for a long time, escaping with painkillers and folk remedies, then the problem gets worse. And it seems clear that you can no longer pull, but there is a fear that the disease has gone so far that you will have to pull out a tooth.
How does dental phobia manifest?
Perhaps there is no person who is not anxious or worried before a visit to the doctor. Here, rather, we are talking about the fear of the unknown. It is not difficult to overcome this kind of fear. But if we are talking specifically about a phobia, then it is almost impossible to cope with these feelings.
What happens to the body?
A person experiencing numbing fear becomes uncontrollable, which is expressed as:
- rapid heartbeat;
- panic attacks;
- difficulty breathing;
- fainting;
- aggression.
Persuasion doesn’t help, and attempts to at least look into the mouth end in hysterics. Sometimes it happens that a person who is aware of the problem begins to deny it. Thus, a vicious circle is obtained: the problem worsens, the treatment becomes more difficult, the dental phobia intensifies.
How to stop being afraid of the dentist and treat your teeth?
So, we figured out the reasons and what happens to a person at the moment of feeling fear. We will give a few rules that help overcome a phobia. We note right away that this path is not easy and not fast, but if you manage to overcome it, you can be proud of yourself. And as a bonus, you will have cured teeth.
Choose a clinic, a doctor and go for a consultation. Today, all clinics provide a consultation, during which an examination is carried out and the dentist voices the problems. Tell your doctor about your fears. Almost every specialist in his practice has encountered those who are afraid to be treated, so he will be able to develop tactics in which the procedures will become possible.
Walk with someone to keep you company. It can be a husband/wife, friend, sister, mother, etc. Feeling supported even from behind the door, you will easier to deal with fear.
Go through the treatment step by step. If a number of problems have appeared in your oral cavity as a result of dental phobia, do everything gradually, starting with the simplest – brushing your teeth.
Ask your dentist to talk or be quiet. It is important for someone that the doctor commented on his every action, but for someone, on the contrary, it irritates and inspires even more fear. The main thing is to agree in advance.
Select an anesthetization method. Today, there are a number of drugs: freezing injections, sprays, gels. For some, medication sleep is the way out; at the Prizma aesthetic dentistry clinic, we practice this type of anesthesia.
Promise yourself something. For example, if you fix a tooth, buy perfume / dress / something tasty, etc. Focus on this thought.
Contact a psychologist. If your phobia is so strong that you cannot even walk past dental clinics, contact a specialist and work through your fear together.
Remember, the longer you wait, the worse your dental problems will get. But we all want to stay healthy and beautiful as long as possible. Start the fight against phobia right now, and the doctors of the “Prizma” aesthetic clinic will be happy to help you with this. If you have complications after tooth extraction, Prizma dentistry will help you solve this problem. You will find the answer to the question “how to treat TMJ” in our blog.
