Dental phobia is a type of fear that anyone can have of going to the dentist or being in a dental clinic. If you think you are the only one who suffers this incredible fear of going to see a dentist, you’d be surprised. In Malaysia, a study was conducted with 407 adults and a staggering 94.1% of that sample group admitted to suffering from some form of dental phobia!
It’s easy to see why people get anxious when it comes to seeing a dental professional. Since young, we are bombarded by media that depict dentists as sources of pain and discomfort. Even without media influence, our first visits to the dentists bring flashbacks of the drilling sounds that echo in our heads.
Despite these fears, oral hygiene is one of the most important healthcare components of our body. We have only one good set of adult teeth our entire life, and we need them to last as long as they can.
So how do we combat our dental fears?
Here are three tips that will start you on the right track.
First, we need to identify exactly which aspect of the dental procedure that scares us the most. Is it the dentist? Is he or she too rough? Is it the sound or sight of a dentist’s chair that sets us off? Was it a traumatic experience in the past? Once you know the source of your fears, it would be easier to overcome it.
If it’s a traumatic experience with a previous dentist, the best way forward would be to talk to your current dentist. Find an oral hygiene practitioner who respects your opinions and feedback. Ideally, a dentist should be sensitive to a patient’s threshold of pain and adjust accordingly. Always feel free to ask for anesthesia if you feel you are in too much discomfort.
Secondly, don’t be afraid to ask about what’s going to happen in the procedure. The dentist should be able to explain the procedure in a manner that you can understand. Understanding what the dentist is doing can go a long way in making you feel at ease. For example, if the dentist is probing your gums, you should know that he is testing your gum health and may need to push the tool into your gums a few millimeters to get a reading.
Finally, going to the dentist does not have to be a solo encounter. Most dental clinics have extra seating for family members or friends. Taking someone with you provides some level of comfort that you know you can reach out to them for support. Having someone to talk to can be a very powerful method of reducing your fears and doubts.
These are some of the sources of fear behind dental phobia and do understand that the dentists are not out to get you. They only want what’s best for your teeth and can help you with it!