Say NO to Dental Phobia

“Prevention is better than treatment options.”

[Angeli* (not her real name) is 20 years old now and her upper first and second molars are decayed. However, she does not prefer to visit their family dentist even though she was having a dilemma of experiencing toothache for the past few days. Her dental fear started when she was 5 years of age. She had experience a trauma when one of her milk teeth was extracted by their family dentist.]

This case is one of the many others who have a dental phobia. It is the fear of going to the dentist. The dental phobia does not merely mean of being afraid to the dentist themselves but on the dental care procedures, injections and dental instruments.

Signs of Dental Phobia

In the Patient’s Waiting Area:

➡️ Impatient

➡️ Increased Heartbeat

➡️ Excessive sweating of hands and other parts of the body

➡️ Nervousness

➡️ Muscle tenses

➡️ Uneasiness

During the Dental Procedure

➡️ Expectation of experiencing pain from the injection and dental procedures.

➡️ Suspicious fear on the sound of dental instruments.

➡️ Unnecessary movement and tension while the dentist is performing a dental procedure.

 

How to ease the phobia?

Dentists are health care professionals trained and licensed to provide dental care. General dentistry emphasizes treatments that prevent oral health problems, especially dental caries, commonly called tooth decay. Tooth decay is one of the most prevalent diseases.

Dentists help prevent tooth decay by cleaning teeth to remove buildup of tartar, which forms when plaque, a sticky film of bacteria, hardens on the teeth. As they feed on sugar and food residue on the teeth, the bacteria produce acids. If not removed regularly, these acids eat away the tooth enamel, leaving decayed holes in the teeth called cavities. To help prevent cavities, dentists apply fluoride (a mineral that strengthens tooth enamel) to teeth. Dental sealants—clear plastic coatings that are brushed onto the chewing surfaces of molars—are also effective in preventing tooth decay. If you have a carious teeth, please let your dentist do restorative dentistry right away. Don’t wait too long because the longer you wait might lead to other treatment options like RCT or extraction.

Do not be afraid of the dentist because of the dental care procedures, injections and dental instruments. Dental practitioners are not enemy or monster that will harm, bite, or eat you; SO WHY BE AFRAID OF THEM?

Let us remember that dentists are our friends. Dentists want the best for his or her patients. However, if one patient really cannot conquer his or her dental fear, this is when our dentists might encourage you to have your dental procedures via sedation. Dentists will collaborate with their trusted anesthesiologist to help the anxious patients be relax during the procedure.

Let us spread the love by letting our dentist be our friends. Visit your trusted dentist! 🦷

Love lots, A 💕