Dentophobia: How To Cope With A Fear Of The Dentist

Your oral health is one of the most important aspects of your overall health and wellbeing. A lot of people don’t realise just how much it can influence other parts of your body. However, dentophobia, or a fear of the dentist, is prevalent in a number of patients, with around 36% of people around the world citing it as their top fear. This common fear can stem from a number of different factors, such as emotions related to concerns about your oral health and previous bad experiences. Given the importance that your oral health has to your overall health and wellness, a fear of the dentist can prevent a lot of patients from going to their regular checkups or hygiene appointments. This can then have a knock-on effect in that it causes other parts of their health to be affected, plus can just make oral health worse which, when they do build up the courage to visit the dentist, can make treatment much more intense. But, it’s not as easy for everyone to simply go to the dentist. Let’s take a look at dentophobia and how to cope with a fear of the dentist.

Difference Between Fear and Phobia

Fears and phobias are often discussed as being the same thing, but there are some differences between them. A fear can be a strong dislike, which is enough to cause avoidance of something, but often it isn’t something you think about until you are presented with the fear. A phobia is a much stronger form of fear and is more often considered as a type of anxiety. Phobias can cause extreme distress and avoidance, often in such as way that they can create interference with your daily life. Phobias are typically things that will not cause you harm in reality, but sufferers won’t be able to stop the feeling that it will. When it comes to the dentist, being fearful can mean that you dislike the dentist enough to put off scheduling appointments. You might dislike the treatments and feel uncomfortable, but you put up with them anyway. When it comes to dentophobia, it presents such a strong and severe fear that you avoid going altogether. Even just the thought or mention of the dentist is enough to cause anxiety or panic attacks. Whilst treatments and causes for dental fear and phobias are similar, having dentophobia can take more time to get through.

Treatments

rnIf you have dentophobia, then going to the dentist is much easier said than done. Like most other phobias, dentophobia could be linked to anxiety, which may require a combination of different treatments or therapies. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular dentophobia treatments.

Find The Right Dentist

There are dentists who specialise in treating patients who have dentophobia and often they will put extra care and attention into your treatments. If you visit a private dentist, then they will often have much more time to set aside and discuss your phobia with you. They can set up pre-treatment appointments where they will meet with you in a neutral space in the dental surgery where they will discuss the proposed treatment with you and what is best for your phobia. This can greatly reduce your anxiety and you’ll be able to speak with your dentist away from the chair or tools which can cause dentophobia to be worse.

Exposure Therapy

Exposure therapy is a type of psychotherapy and is said to be amongst one of the most effective treatments for dentophobia. It involves seeing your dentist on a more regular and gradual basis, with appointments made that don’t include treatments or procedures. From there, you can build up on a visit by visit basis with partial exams, X-Rays and cleanings until you feel ready to take on a full appointment.

Keeping Calm

It’s easier said than done when you have dentophobia, but following some tips on how to stay calm during your appointments can help greatly, whether you’re facing your fear full on or are going through stages using exposure therapy. - You can ask to see the dentist at a quieter time of the day, where there are fewer patients and fewer noises that could trigger your anxiety. - Use noise-cancelling headphones or earphones with calming music to help you relax - most dentists will allow you to wear them during your treatment. - Practice some deep breathing techniques and meditation to utilise during your appointment. There are some different strategies to help you deal with dentophobia. It’s important that, if you suffer with dentophobia, you let your dentist know as early as possible so that they are aware and can help you in any way possible.