Is Your Dentist Your Worst Enemy? Conquer Dental Phobia and Smile Again

Tame your fear- Overcome dental phobia

What is dental phobia?

It is the fear , anxiety or stress in a dental clinic (surroundings) or while visiting the dentist.

Why is dental phobia a major concern?

People with dental fear/ phobia avoid dental care, which leads to delay in their treatment and eventually the treatment done for the specific problem is usually painful because of the stage it is done in. This impairs quality of oral health and overall health.?

Coping with dental phobia is essential, major concern being neglecting serious problems.

Firstly it is important to understand the cause of dental anxiety/phobia. Is it due to a past dental experience, is it subjective or objective (i.e. opinions or ideas heard from others).

Common fears can also give rise to dental anxiety, i.e. fear of needles, blood, anticipation of pain , hospital workplace , physical trauma to head and neck. coping with dental phobia is effective only when the dental professional knows the cause of the anxiety.

How can you overcome dental phobia?

To overcome dental phobia a combination of methods are used as the cause can be multifactorial.?

As a patient:

Patients, generally kids, may be curious or anxious about a dental procedure, watch videos , images from the internet which might lead to procuring wrong information and increase in fear. This can be avoided by providing right information by the dentist, avoiding unreliable sources.

Inform your dentist about your phobia.?

You can ask your family/ friend to accompany you for the dental visit.

For the initial visits only examination is done, getting acclimated to the dental clinic and its surroundings, the procedure can be performed gradually after a few visits as per instructed by? the dentist. This also depends on the problem the patient is suffering from. In case of dental emergencies this method cannot be applied.?

Breathing exercises- meditation and other exercises can help you stay calm and overcome your fears. Deep breaths are an efficient method to calm yourself.

Role As a dental practitioner:

The simple method dentists’ use is explaining the procedure to the patient before it is performed and giving the patient a sense of control which is helpful when the patient has dental anxiety. Give the patient enough breaks during a dental procedure and ask if he/she is comfortable. This is known as enhancing control of the patient.?

Building rapport, and making the patient feel comfortable, it's also essential to ask about history regarding past episodes or about dental phobia or any kind of anxiety.

Methods used for relieving dental anxiety?

Relative analgesia: Nitrous oxide sedation also known as conscious sedation is a helpful tool for reducing anxiety

Distraction: the patient can be distracted by visual or auditory impulses examples:?

?Music therapy -research has been done on effectiveness of music therapy in reducing dental anxiety, it shows that it may be an effective method for adults , more studies are required to conclude this method.?

Medication: anxiolytic medications (examples: temazepam)?

It's critical to discuss medication with health professionals as it can cause side effects or certain drug interactions. Therefore only drugs prescribed by a doctor should be taken as instructed.

Tell show do technique- a very common practice used in paediatric dentistry. Patient is first explained about the procedure, it is then shown on a model/dummy (e.g. toy) and eventually performed on the patient.

Hypnotherapy- it has shown to be effective in reducing stress and anxiety, more studies are needed to use it on a daily basis in a clinic. Practitioners need proper training for using this method.

Cognitive therapy and behaviour therapy-? it aims at changing the negative thoughts and actions of the patient through a series of structured methods that can only be performed by practitioners trained at this. This method is considered the most appropriate technique to overcome phobia.

Positive reinforcement – this method includes encouraging positive thoughts and behaviour, which helps the patient to cooperate during the procedure.

Recent time has seen a lot of advancements in the field of dentistry with a target to reduce dental anxiety. It aims at reducing the anxiety producing stimuli?

Atraumatic restorative therapy- restoration procedures are carried out with minimal discomfort to the patient.

Lasers- lasers are widely used from cavity cutting to oral surgeries.

Topical anaesthetics are used for patients who are afraid of needle prick. Used routinely so the patient is cooperative and at ease during the procedure.

Electronic dental anaesthesia, delivery systems in local anaesthesia are other advancements.

As each patient varies with respect to treatment needs and the level of dental phobia. It is mandatory to discuss all the methods of coping in each case with a professional. The consent of the patient is equally important.?

Approximately up to 40% of people have some level of dental anxiety that can be mild fear of phobia. Trust your dentist and overcome your fears the right way. visit the dentist every 6 months to take care of your dental problems. Don’t give into your fears , remember your neglect can become your biggest enemy.?

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Dr Shagorika Choudhury