Dental Phobia

What is dental phobia?

Dental phobia is the more extreme stage of fear of going to the dentist, a lot of people will have some niggling anxieties and would prefer not to go, but some people – close to 25% of the adult population – will allow that fear to escalate to the point that it becomes a phobia. It’s probably normal to be slightly fearful of the unknown, or nervous about an upcoming procedure, but a phobia is much more extreme and can really blight a person’s life.

Why are people afraid of the dentist?

It might be difficult for some people to understand, but there are lots of reasons why the dentist’s surgery holds such fear for a large percentage of adults. The problems most people have are quite a natural part of the human psyche, but the pattern of behaviour can be changed if it starts to impact on other areas of life.

Fear of the unknown – This affects people who have never been to visit the dentist before, and can turn into a debilitating phobia over time. It’s normal for human beings to be wary of new experiences and to imagine all sorts of horrible things that might happen to them; this tends to dissipate when we reach adulthood, as our mind learns that not everything is as scary as we perceive it to be. With dental appointments, it’s far too easy to take in horror stories that other people have told us and to start thinking it’s not worth the risk.

Dental fear – This is the next level of dental phobia, a reaction to a previous experience. It might be a painful extraction, or some failed surgery that led to on-going complications, whatever the reason, the memory is too traumatic to shake and someone in this state will automatically assume that if they return to the dentist they will suffer in the same way. It’s not particularly abnormal to want to stay away from things we have learned may cause us pain, but in this case, fear will override common sense, which tries to tell us that it probably won’t be as bad as we remember it.

Dental phobia – For people that experience the final stage of fear, it can take over their life to some degree – especially if they have dental problems that need immediate attention. Dental phobia can often be traced back to a traumatic incident in the past, and can render the victim so terrified that they pass out at just the thought of sitting in a dentist’s chair. It’s a very distressing condition that prevents people from seeking medical treatment, even if they are in extreme pain.

What can I do if I develop a phobia?

The most important thing you can do is to seek help as soon as you realise the problem is getting out of control. If you really need to see the dentist, but you feel yourself start to panic just considering it, you could be suffering the first stages of dental phobia. You can stop the process in its earliest form, by talking to a friend or family member about your fears, and subsequently facing them head on. Sometimes, just voicing your worries out loud can help you realise that they’re not as consuming as you first thought; keeping them bottled up usually makes the situation seem more terrible than it really is. If you manage to attend an appointment, you will probably see that your fears were starting to get the better of you without any real foundation for them.

You can also help yourself by finding an understanding dentist, most healthcare professionals will have to deal with nervous patients at some point in their career – some more regularly than others – and will know exactly how to ease your mind. A caring, sympathetic dentist can really make a difference to patients suffering from crippling dental fear. Look for a recommended surgery, one that often deals with worried patients, and talk through your anxieties with your chosen dentist. If you find yourself unable to even get to the surgery, you could look into relaxation techniques – such as yoga – to help with rising feelings of panic, or phone the dentist’s office and enquire about sedation. Any good dental team will be able to give you help and advice to overcome your phobia, before it overcomes you, staff at the Pearl Dental Clinic are all experienced with fear of the dentist and can help you take the first steps towards recovery.

Who can be affected by dental phobia?

There really is no specific factor that can single someone out as being at risk of dental fear, a phobia of this kind can affect anyone, at any time in their lives – lots of people may develop it in later life, after having a traumatic experience. Recent surveys have suggested that women are twice as likely to suffer from dental phobia as men are, but it’s possible that the real reason for these results is that women tend to voice their fears more readily, whereas men are inclined to keep their perceived weaknesses to themselves. It’s sometimes difficult for men to admit that they are afraid of something – nature dictates that displaying frailties puts them at risk, so they might joke about their problems and ignore the fact that they are actually very afraid.

Any person – male or female – should not feel alone in their fear, one in four adults have a degree of dental phobia, if you count yourself among that 25%, talking about it is the best way to conquer it. There’s no need to let dental phobia take over your life, set yourself some targets to gradually reach and surpass, this is a great way of re-wiring your mind so that you don’t consider the problem insurmountable.  Your behaviour won’t change overnight, but slowly you will start to see that dental fear can be controlled, even beaten with time.