Recent studies have found that over 90 pre cent of people in the UK admit to having some fear of the dentist. This fear ranges from mild anxiety to fully blown dental phobia. The difference between a phobia and an anxiety is really made by a person’s ability to confront it. For most people, the consequences of not visiting the dentist far outweigh the anxieties they have about going for a check up. They are able to rationalise that having their teeth checked will benefit them in the long run. Someone who suffers with dental phobia is not able to make this same rationalisation, the fear is simply too great. The irony here of course is that by not visiting the dentist a dental phobic is increasing the chances that they will need more serious dental treatment in the future.
Dental phobias usually stem from similar reasons, in most cases. It is more often than not related to a past traumatic incident at the dentists, often during childhood. A painful procedure or a particularly unsympathetic dentist can put off a patient for life. Other patients talk about a feeling of lack of control when sitting in the dentist chair and a fear of instruments inserted into the mouth is also a common. In many cases the fear has been transferred from a parent to their child. The parent tells the child so often that the dentist is scary that they eventually start to believe it.
With the advances in dental technology, today there really is no need to fear the dentist. Many procedures that were previously complex and painful have been simplified or improved to minimise the discomfort to the patient, and the introduction of laser surgery has also shortened recovery times.
For patients with phobias it is often helpful to simply talk them through with a dentist. Dentists are specially trained to deal with nervous patients and you are hardly likely to be their first. Explaining your concerns will give the dentist an opportunity to reassure you about any specific anxieties.
Other tools that work for patients are relaxation and self-hypnosis techniques. These can greatly reduce the feelings of anxiety before an appointment. Recent studies have also shown lavender oil to be very useful in calming patients’ nerves before seeing the dentist. Whatever your concerns or the extent of your phobia, a City of Leeds will be able to help you overcome it. It really is in your own interest, to help prevent any dental complications that may need treatment in the future.
Tags: anxiety, dental phobia