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:
- Choose a dentist you are comfortable with. Our dentists are pleasant, open to communication, and are trained in managing dental fear in patients. If you don’t like your dentist, say so, and we can find you one you are comfortable with.
- Go to online support forums to discuss your condition. If it’s difficult to talk to someone about your fear face-to-face or over the phone, you can anonymously discuss your issues on an online forum. Online forums can be a rich source of information regarding dental fear as well.
- Read about the procedures in advance. If the fear is being caused by a particular type of procedure, you can look up our information pages to learn more about each procedure and what it entails. Once you understand how the dental procedure works, it will seem much less scary to you.
- Visit the clinic with a friend or a companion you trust. If going to the dentist by yourself is terrifying, bring a friend along who can encourage you to sit through the visit.
- Try distracting yourself. You can bring a game or a music player to the clinic to keep yourself distracted from your fear.
Dental Fear Treatments
You can always talk to your dentist at one of our clinics if you are anxious and fearful about your dental treatment. Our dentists are friendly and will actively work towards easing your fear. However, in some patients, dental fear or phobia is not curable with just one or two visits. If the nervousness is hindering the dental procedure, our dentists may recommend sedation therapy. We offer sedation therapy under a general anesthetic or a sedative medication like diazepam. General anesthetics will make you unconscious for the duration of the procedure so you won’t feel or fear a thing until the dentist has finished his job. A drug like a diazepam will help you enter a worry-free sleep-like state for the procedure. Our dentists recommend sedation to tackle dental fear only if it’s absolutely necessary. If you think you require sedation for the procedure, you can contact us in advance to learn more.
Dental CrownsHow Much Does it Cost for Sedation or General Anaesthesia?
We do not always offer Sedation to our patients who are suffering from dental anxiety but after the assessment of your overall health, our certified and experienced Anaesthesiologist will administer the process for you. You can get a free quote for the costs of sedation or general anesthesia in our clinics.
