Dental Fear is real. For some reason as an adult, we often feel that it is not OK to fear the dentist. We are told that we are childish or it is all in our heads. In fact sometimes we are told by the dentist themselves that we should ‘grin and bear it’ or get over ourselves. In this article Toothbrush Confidential will arm you with the real story behind dental fear and arm you with the information required to find a suitable dentist for someone with dental fear or dental anxiety. According to Wikipedia, 75% of adults in the USA have some form of dental fear, so you can’t be alone in this. You might as well be well-informed.
Think about it, if 75% of American adults fear the dentist, you may even know a few in your social circle who are in the same boat. Dental anxiety can develop from a bad experience or some people have a very bad gag reflex and just don’t like the thought of throwing up on a stranger working in their mouth. A large number of people just never freeze well so they do experience pain. People with fear are happy to never see the inside of a dental office. Even though they may have years of neglect and rampant bacteria in their mouth the fear of pain is prevalent and it’s just been so long since seeing the dentist it is best to just bear the pain. However, the best thing you can do for yourself is claim the fear. Own it. Understand it’s completely normal and that since it’s completely normal there must be some sort of options available to you other than denial.
If you decide to choose denial for the moment, please know it can be a costly decision..everything from cavities to oral cancer or bacteria that will travel to other parts of the body therefore endangering heart or digestive systems. Sorry for adding to your fear, but armed with the knowledge that dental fear is normal + denial can be costly to your health = why not look into the options available to an adult with dental fear?
So what are your options? As the title of this article suggests, we think it’s a good plan to keep calm and understand your options. First you’ll want to check if your dentist or the dentist you are looking at is DOCS (Dental Organization for Conscious Sedation) certified. It’s a shorthand way to know whether your dentist and their staff have been trained in the following:
- Acknowledging your fear. Listening to you and asking the right questions to help you decide which form of sedation, if any is right for you.
- Provide a safe, nurturing environment to handle your fear
- Explain the treatment in advance so that you, the patient, are clearly aware of the formalized protocol for: home preparation, procedure once at the treatment appointment and expectations of your post treatment experience.
- Observe you during sedation, for any early signs of distress. Provide all updated emergency equipment. This rarely happens, although it’s good to know your dentist AND THE TEAM is properly trained and prepared for any possible outcome.
That was it! Not too painful eh? Now you are a well armed dental health warrior, ready to approach your dental team with knowledgeable questions and an eye for the answers you require.
If you’d like to learn more about the different types of sedation available to you please follow Toothbrush Confidential or Willow Dental Care Clinics on Facebook because our next article is going to shine a light on sedation dentistry that will empower you and not your fear. So keep an eye for our next post: Keep Calm and Get Sedated.
Did Toothbrush Confidential answer all your questions? I look forward to reading your stories of dental anxiety and answer any of your questions in the comments below.
Follow us on Twitter and it’ll be such a celebration when you’ve conquered your fear and you’ve tweeted:
I got sedated! #WillowDentalCareBC
