Coping With Dental Phobia

When you are facing potentially long or painful treatment Conscious Sedation is a simple procedure dentists can use on their patients. It uses medication to put you in a very relaxed, dreamlike state whilst having surgery carried out, relieving the stress and anxiety that you may usually feel during visiting the dentist.

I agree with Mike's comment on focusing on external sounds. I have always been very anxious at the dentist, but recently they have added TVs in each chair area for patients to watch. I find that focusing on the movie that is playing helps ease the nerves of being there.

Anxiety about visiting the dentist is common and becomes a phobia when it has a marked impact on someone's well-being; people with dental phobias typically avoid going to the dentist and end up experiencing more dental pain, poorer oral health and a detrimental effect on their quality of life. Estimates from the most recent Adult Dental Health Survey in the UK suggest around one in ten people suffers from dental phobia.

Those who find their way to us are often middle-aged people who have got away so far with not going to the dentist, but find in their 40s or 50s that they suddenly have dental pain and are finally pushed into doing something about their dental health.

Denial - You don't want to be told that you have bad teeth and you are not looking after them properly. You don't want to hear that you should stop smoking; cut down on drinks like red wine and coffee and stop eating sweets and snacking between meals.

Patients remain in control of treatment at all times. If you need a break, all you need to do is raise your hand and your dentist will stop. We make sure we build in plenty of time to appointments, so you should never worry that you are holding up the dentist - we understand that everybody needs to take a breather sometimes.

Feelings of helplessness and loss of control — Many people develop phobias about situations — such as flying in an airplane — in which they feel they have no control. When they're in the dental chair, they have to stay still. They may feel they can't see what's going on or predict what's going to hurt. It's common for people to feel helpless and out of control, which may trigger anxiety.

Bamboo Dental has assessed that people with dental phobia have a higher risk of gum disease and early tooth loss. Avoiding the dentist may have emotional costs as well. Discolored or damaged teeth can make people self-conscious and insecure. They may smile less or keep their mouths partly closed when they speak. Some people can become so embarrassed about how their teeth look that their personal and professional lives begin to suffer. There is often a serious loss of self-esteem. People with dental phobia also may suffer from poorer health in general, and even lower life expectancy. This is because poor oral health has been found to be related to some life-threatening conditions, such as heart disease and lung infections.

Many dentists employ high-tech ways of taking the edge off, including virtual reality goggles that allow patients to watch television (although viewing the movie The Marathon Man or an episode of The Sopranos might not calm you down). Some patients listen to soft music while they're being treated.

People with dental phobia have a higher risk of gum disease and early tooth loss. Avoiding the dentist may have emotional costs as well. Discolored or damaged teeth can make people self-conscious and insecure. They may smile less or keep their mouths partly closed when they speak. Some people can become so embarrassed about how their teeth look that their personal and professional lives begin to suffer. There is often a serious loss of self-esteem.

Many people have minor phobias over things like going to teh dentist. But others have more severe cases of anxiety that can cripple their lives. I usually recommend a natural approach to healing, rather than prescription drugs or therapy, unless those last two options are absolutely necessary.

A number of factors can cause dental phobia, whether that be the dentist themselves, the instruments, past experiences or even simply general fear. Even though it is unique to each person dental phobia is something that we can help you with at Grosvenor Dental Centre.

If you suffer from dental phobia, your dentist will usually recommend following a process like this. First of all, you should benefit from a consultation. Ideally, this should not include dental work. It should simply be a conversation with your dentist where you can outline your fears and your dentist can begin to work out the best way to treat you.

Apart from being a celebrity, Nasser Syed lectures nationally to other dentists in this field. That reputation led to his appointment as Speciality Dentist and Honorary Clinical Teaching Fellow in Oral Surgery at the University of Manchester Dental Hospital in 2009. Nasser Syed is a Dental Phobia certified Dentist.

Dental phobia is a more serious condition that leaves people panic-stricken and terrified. People with dental phobia have an awareness that the fear is totally irrational but are unable to do much to change this. They exhibit classic avoidance behavior; that is, they will do everything possible to avoid going to the dentist. People with dental phobia usually go to the dentist only when forced to do so by extreme pain.

Fear of pain is probably the most common issue that keeps people from the dental office. A study at the University of Toronto, Canada, gathered data about patients' pain expectation when they're having dental treatment. The report says that sensation of pain was more likely to be reported by people who had painful dental experiences or who felt anxious about treatment, expected it to be painful, or felt they had little control over the treatment process. Those who reported pain more often were youths and those with higher education levels. The report concluded by stating that pain is as much a cognitive and emotional experience as a physiological experience.