Research suggests that dental phobia is one of the most common phobias in the UK and most people admit that they experience at least mild anxiety when faced with a trip to the dental surgery. In some cases, fear of the dentist is so extreme that people avoid dental visits for years on end, often putting up with severe pain and risking serious oral health problems. If you’re one of those people who dread the dentist, there is help out there and modern dentistry is a completely different proposition to dentistry in days gone by. Here are just some of the techniques and treatments that may help you to overcome dental phobia:
Speak to your dentist: dentists today have training in caring for patients who suffer from anxiety and dental phobia and if they are made aware of your situation, they can then adapt the way they work to make you feel more comfortable. It is always beneficial to take time to speak to your dentist and to have a look around the surgery and learn more about what dental treatment entails and get any queries or concerns off your chest before you have treatment.
Sedation: sedation is a technique, which is used frequently in medicine and dentistry to help patients to combat anxiety and ensure that they don’t feel any pain during a procedure. When you are sedated, you feel drowsy and completely relaxed; you won’t feel much while the procedure is carried out and you probably won’t remember anything afterwards.
Drill-free dentistry: drill-free dentistry is highly beneficial for those who have a specific fear of the dental drill, as well as those who feel very anxious about being in a dental surgery. Modern techniques, such as laser treatment, help to eliminate factors, which may cause anxiety to some patients, including drilling, unpleasant noises, injections and pain.
Hypnosis: some people who suffer from phobias find hypnosis very effective; however, it is not for everyone. Hypnosis is designed to train your brain to think differently and change your mind-set so that something you previously viewed as scary becomes completely harmless.
Tags: dental phobia, Dental phobia Central Leeds, drill free dentistry, Fear of the dentist
