Over 90 per cent of us confess to having a fear of the dentist. For most of that 90 per cent the fear is mild and easily overcome by the knowledge that looking after your teeth is more important. For others who suffer from a more severe dental phobia the fear wins and their oral health suffers as a result. Many nervous or anxious patients suffer from gum disease and tooth decay because they put off or avoid coming to the dentist for check ups. Regular dental check ups are one of the best ways to avoid problems such as these so in some respects their fears are making the situation worse.
Many people’s dental phobias are caused by similar factors. A previous negative experience at the dentist’s, particularly during childhood, can lead to a lifetime of fear. A painful procedure or unsympathetic dentist can put a patient off returning for life. For others, they are embarrassed about the state of their teeth and put off going to the dentist. As with many other dental phobias, this achieves nothing more than to make the situation worse. Running from your fears is never the answer. Other patients speak of fears of having instruments placed on their mouth or feelings of lack of control.
These fears may be very real to people but there are ways around them. Try explaining them to your dentist, being as open and honest as possible. Whatever your fear, they will have experienced it before and will be trained to help you overcome it. Other dentists now use relaxation techniques such as breathing exercises and self-hypnosis to overcome anxiety. The use of lavender oil and other natural remedies can also help to calm patients’ nerves.
It is also very important to remember that dentistry has made huge advances in the last twenty years. Dental surgeries are unrecognizable now from the places many patients may have experienced as children. Many of the procedures that were previously painful or unpleasant are now more or less completely pain free. Operation and treatment times have been slashed for many procedures, meaning less time will be spent in the chair and fewer visits will be required. A City of Leeds dentist will be able to talk nervous patients through all the changes and reassure them that they really do have nothing to worry about.
Tags: dental check ups, dental phobia, gum disease, oral health, tooth decay
