Feb 04, 2020
Do you ever feel anxious before going to the dentist? Does the clinic scare you? You might have dental anxiety or dental phobia. It is a condition where patients do not wish to visit the dentist and feel uncomfortable if they have to visit. Dental anxiety prevents patients from consulting a dentist. Avoiding dental visits seems an easy way to tackle your anxiety but it is not the solution to your anxiety. Several reasons contribute to anxiety. Every reason must be eliminated or sorted out to beat the fear of the dentist. Here are some of the reasons you must know.
Bad Experience in the Past
According to research, most people avoid going to the dentist because they had a terrible experience in the past. Any discomfort that the patient faced, is the main cause of dental anxiety.
Fear of Pain
Six percent of the people do not visit the dentist in 12 months due to the fear of pain. Some patients visit the dentist once every six months but the anxiety level is high. People who do not have any oral problem give their phobia to take over and visiting the dentist is nowhere to be found.
Losing Control of the Body
In a clinic, you have to sit still in the chair. No movements are allowed. Dentists take control of your body. After the treatment, you cannot eat or drink anything normally for a few hours or one day. Most controlling people have the fear of dental visits because they lose control at the clinic.
Self-Conscious People Face Trouble
Feeling embarrassed about the appearance of your teeth is another major reason for anxiety or phobia. Self-conscious people feel ashamed when some stranger looks into their mouth or comes a little closer.
Symptoms of Dental Phobia
Every person has some fears. There is nothing to be ashamed of. Coping up with such situations varies from person to person. If you cannot guess if you have dental anxiety or not, here are a few symptoms that could help you.
- The sleepless night before the visit
- Increased nervousness by the thought of instruments and treatments
- Restlessness in the waiting area magnifies every minute
- Breathing problem during the treatment
There are more symptoms but these are the major ones. If you have any of these problems, you may have dental phobia or anxiety. Talk to your dentist about it.
Solution to Dental Fear and Anxiety
Dental fears now have a solution. Massive changes in the field of dentistry have introduced an effective solution to people who fear dentists. Sedation dentistry works best for patients who feel uncomfortable at the dental clinic. It comforts the patients. Sedations have different types as well. Here are the types you must know about.
Intravenous Sedation
Intravenous or IV sedation involves receiving medications through injection in the vein. The effects are very strong and relieve you from anxiety. Most patients sleep during the procedure. it is better to have a backup plan for returning home because patients feel drowsy and driving back home is not possible. You may remember the small glimpses of the procedure.
Oral Sedation
Drugs or liquids are also used to sedate patients. The sedative requires more time than other methods. Therefore, the sedative is given an hour before the treatment. It helps to perform a safe treatment.
Laughing Gas
If you are scared of injections, let your dentist know about it. The dentist will advise laughing gas that makes it easier for the patient to tolerate the treatment. The mask fits your nose and the gas is inhaled.
Local Anesthesia
The sedative is injected directly into the vein but the level of sedation is different. The patient does not sleep but the surgical site is numbed.
Local anesthesia is the most commonly used sedative in dentistry. It works differently than other sedatives. Like IV sedation, it is also injected in the vein but anesthesia does not make you sleep.
Dental anxiety is common among the patients but you can visit our clinic if you want a comfortable environment. Dentists at M2 Dental are here to help. We make sure the patient is comfortable and a sedative is also used after confirmation. Visit us now and get any treatment without any phobia or anxiety.