Taking care of our teeth is hygienic. Mouth is home to thousands of bacteria and if its not cleaned properly, you are prone to oral bacteria related diseases. Many people think brushing is enough, unfortunately experts believe you should visit a dentist at least twice a year to get the teeth professionally cleaned and check for repair works. Despite knowing the importance of going to a dentist, many people avoid going to a dentist, because they have a fear of dentists.
Previous bad experience is a common reason why people fear the dentist. But there have been lot of changes in the industry and now its pain free. Mouth is a very personal part of our body and having someone working on it can threaten us, make you feel like a invasion of privacy. Lying in the chair and dentist working with drills centimeters away from our nerves, makes us feel vulnerable. Dentists image is like a tooth surgeon with some nasty tools in his hand & is a bad man.
What can be done about fear of dentists ?
There is no medication or herbal remedy to fix this fear. Recognize your fear and decide, how to overcome it. This is the greatest hurdle you face if you fear from dentists. Find out more about dentistry and therefore control over your own health.
Don’t be afraid to ask for information and advice about dental fear and ways of treating it. Evaluate your dentist, as its the most crucial role in getting rid of your fear. Find a planned and designed dental clinic to be friendly and relaxing. Be aware of modern techniques used by dentists and have patience for it to take effect.
During the treatment get your self involved in decision making, have the dentists show you the tools and where the problem is and how it can be treated. The more you get yourself involved, more are the chances of yourself projecting your mind to a thought of a healthy teeth. The less vulnerable you feel, more is the comfort level.
The dangerous machines at dental clinics gives everyone a lot of fear :O
Remember of the anesthesia that they give which would give you no pain although drilling is deep enough to produce pain
I hate the dentist and i have perfect teeth i just hate it soo much
Great post Dr. Chetan! I just completed a blog post on dental patient anxiety and some different techniques that modern day dentists help to alleviate patient fears.
@Amit Bhawani, They just look dangerous. The actual stuff is easier and lighter.. the scalers, suction apparatus etc. The syringes too don’t pain much, it is just a few seconds of sharp sensation which goes off once the anesthesia is given.
@demi, Dentists still love their patients Demi 😉
@Jake Scheiterlein, And as we know Jake, there are different types of methods to combat the fear of dentists, in children and adults. Anxiety is sometimes more a problem than the actual treatment plan for both the patients and dentists.