Dental Fear and Anxiety
Not everyone looks forward to going to the dentist. While some of us might only slightly recoil at the idea, there are other patients who break out in a sweat at the mere thought of going to the dentist. Dental phobia or fear is a real condition that may affect as many as one in four people. If you would rather die from a toothache than go to the dentist, then you probably have dental phobia.
Never let dental phobia keep you from a visit to the dentist. You would do so at the risk of serious oral health complications. On the plus side, dental fear is a manageable condition. Premium Dental Turkey understands that some patients may be fearful of the procedures and we offer treatments to help you overcome it.
What is Dental Fear and Dental Phobia?
Dental fear is used as a general term for dental fear, anxiety, and phobia. The three conditions are distinguishable from one another. Dental fear occurs most commonly when you are at the dentist, and you happen to see all the equipment and start to panic. It’s the fear of a perceived threat, but the threat isn’t real. Dental anxiety refers to being afraid of going to the dentist because you don’t know what might happen. If you have heard stories about people’s bad experiences at the dentist, you may feel dental anxiety before you go to the dentist.
Dental phobia is a debilitating condition where even the thought of going to a dentist could cause a sufferer to panic. People who suffer from a dental phobia will avoid going to the dentist at all costs, even if their teeth are decaying and falling out. Dental phobia is felt more acutely and is very hard to overcome on one’s own.
It’s important to understand that regardless of whether you have dental phobia, anxiety or fear, they are all irrational. You are not really under threat when you go to the dentist. The dentist is not out to hurt you. However, some people may feel fear regardless. Bad experiences in the past are the most common reason as to why patients end up suffering from dental phobia. If you have a bad experience with a dentist as a child, then the fear or anxiety may survive into adulthood. Some people are afraid of the dentist being uncaring or humiliating them for how their teeth look. If you have other fear-related psychological issues, such as PTSD, then you are likely to suffer from dental fear as well.
Dental fear can affect anyone. It’s not limited to children or particular groups of people. Therefore, if you feel any fear about your dental visit, feel free to talk to us about it. Our dentists and support staff are highly committed to making sure you will be as comfortable as possible during the procedure. If the dental visit is making you anxious, contact us so we can help.
How to Manage Dental Fear
Dental fear can be extremely detrimental to your oral health. Having a phobia can also worsen general anxiety or depressive moods. Therefore, you should do your best to manage your fear. Here are several suggestions to help you: