Effects Of Dental Phobia Among Adults And Children Essay

There are many causes of dental phobia and reasons why individuals just do not want to visit the dentist bi-yearly for an exam or even for further procedures. While a lot of causes are unknown, there are some that are more obvious. Some people have a generalized fear of pain. This is a very common reason for an individual to skip the dentist office altogether. This reason of phobia is usually caused by an unpleased or painful previous dental experience or from someone else’s story about their negative experiences. An article from Web MD called Easing Dental Anxiety in Adults states, “Thanks to the many advances in dentistry made over the years, most of today’s dental procedures are considerably less painful or even pain-free” (2016).. A second cause behind some people’s dental phobia is fear of injections or fear of injection failure. The majority people are very afraid of needles. This fear increases when it involves needles inserted into their oral cavity. (Colgate, 2016). Some people even fear that the anesthesia has failed and it did not relieve them of their pain before the dental treatment begins. Along with the fear of injections comes the fear of anesthetic side effects. Some individuals dread the side effects that anesthesia is likely to cause, such as dizziness, nausea, and feeling faint. Others do not like the loss of feeling they experience in their oral cavity. A third cause of dental phobia is the feeling of helplessness and loss of control. People

Hook: Odontophobia is the fear of the dentist, shockingly, many have a fear of this, and even teeth themselves. The thought of some stranger taking drills and shiny metal tools to your mouth is enough to understand the fear itself. Odontophobia is the reason I didn’t choose the occupation of a dentist; I chose the work of a dental hygienist. A dental hygienist will: remove stains, and plaque from teeth, apply fluorides to help protect teeth, take and develop dental x-rays, assess the patients’ oral health and report findings to dentists, document patient care and treatment plans, and educate patients about oral hygiene techniques.

When I was about 5-years-old, I was the only one in my Kindergarten class that was not frightened of the dentist. I was the only child for as long as I can remember who absolutely adored going to see my dentist; I thought it was better than going to the Science Center, which was a big deal for a child in my generation. Growing up, I watched people’s faces twitch with (terror, panic, dismay) as I explained that it was my ultimate dream to become a dental hygienist. “What if a child bites you?” “The human mouth is disgusting! Do you not realize the horror of this occupation?” Listening to people question and insult my dreams only enhanced my dedication to this occupation even more. I was determined to prove them wrong; to prove that this was

In this country the dental health disparity is alarming and on the rise. This is indicated by many factors, including the number of emergency room visits due to tooth related pains (Friedman & Mathu-Muju, 2014). Children face the largest dental disparities. Although, dental caries is the most preventable childhood disease, it is the most prevalent. Our traditional dental care system, of private dentistry, is not working effectively, leaving millions of Americans without access to dental care. Training Dental Hygienist to perform simple extractions and restorative procedures to serve low income and underprivileged communities as a Dental Therapist could greatly decrease our oral health crisis in this nation.

Often, parents who have poor oral health have a history of poor oral health that is accompanied by negative experiences in dentistry as a child, such as painful restoration and extractions. This history often creates an attitude of fear and negativity towards dental professionals that is passed to their children through learned behaviors. Parents who lack a history of oral health tradition are less likely to seek preventative services for their children (Buerlein, Horowitz, & Child, 2011 and Hallberg, et al, 2008).

The distinctive sound in the dentist's office coupled with its slightly sweet antiseptic smell has long been a source of anxiety for many people. Ask almost anyone and they will tell you stories much like the one of my grandmother, who was never given treatment for her pain. Instead, she was treated only with silver nitrate on the decayed areas to deaden the nerve endings. However this did not heal the decay. Perhaps instead they would tell of a time when their dentist, who had just received his new high-speed drill, insisted that there was no need for Novocaine. Along with new problems such as dentists infecting their patients with HIV, the negative side of dentistry has increasingly been in the

Dental Hygiene is very important to me and has been since I was a child, this has influenced my desire of becoming a pediatric dentist. In a personal interview i conducted with Dr.Bills she informed me of this, “Dental Hygiene is emphasized by all dentists, we want our patients to have elegant white teeth and pleasant breath”(Bills). I would like to teach children the importance of keeping their teeth brushed so that they will have a beautiful smile and healthy teeth. Pediatric Dentistry is a superb fit for me because I care about dental health and I want children to know the importance as well. It is never too early for children to learn how important dental hygiene is.

When your child enter's the dental office and makes his or her way to the dental chair, the first site they are greeted with is a line-up of shiny, silver tools. While they may not look scary to you, I bet you can remember your first site of these tools (some with hooks or sharp edges) and the fearful feeling that you were going to feel pain when they were used. If the site of these tools turn your child from relaxed to fearful, then follow this guide to explain to them how the most "scary looking" tools are actually used to help them realize there is no reason to be afraid.

In the Dental Fears Research Clinic, it was observed that approximately two-thirds of the patients had dental anxiety due to previous unpleasant experiences in a

As a child, and still today, I constantly anticipate when I get to go to the dentist again. I realize that is not a common reaction for children, or anyone. but I know that it was a place where I get to learn about my teeth and have fun with the hygienists. I believe that one of the main reasons I love the dentist office so much is because of how great the dental hygienists that I grew up with are. The hygienists at my dentist office are great with everyone and they are always positive and have

We understand that Patients who are extremely fearful of Dentists need more time to feel comfortable. Just tell our staff that we may set up an introductory visit with minimal intervention. We can take baby steps and follow a protocol that I call “Patient Desensitization”. We move at your speed. We can prescribe medications and we offer Nitrous Oxide (Laughing Gas) to control you anxiety, and gradually, we can minimize or extinguish this fear. Dental Phobia can be managed and controlled with understanding and care.

The dentists at Winston Smiles can help calm your fears about dentistry. We understand that going to the dentist may create anxiety for your child or yourself. We use different types of sedation based on what is necessary for your situation.

Fear of the dentist is more common today than most people would imagine. You’re probably very familiar with individuals fearing the dentist, especially if you work or have worked in the dental field. So, what is dental fear? Is it an idea that our parents put in our heads because it was passed down to them from their parents? Is it an emotion that is formed based on images shaped in the mind about going to the dentist? Dental anxiety is abnormal fear or dread of visiting the dentist for preventative care or therapy and unwarranted anxiety over dental procedure. (U.S National Library of Medicine, N.D.) Patients who experience dental anxiety will have a sense of nervousness and unfounded worries or fears. “Some studies have concluded that 75% of people have at least some fear about dental visits.” (Penn Dental, May. 15, 2017.) Dental phobia is a more serious condition. It's an intense fear or dread. “People with dental phobia aren't merely anxious, they are terrified or panic stricken.” (Colgate, September 18, 2013.) Many people with dental phobia typically avoid the dentist unless they have pain and only find it necessary to seek treatment. Negative experiences in childhood are the most common causes of dental fear. So, what can we do to rationalize with our patients? Educate!

Furthermore, it talks about methods to treat dental anxiety like therapy, communication about the procedure, and hypnosis. Then it talks about why hypnosis is an effective technique in dental patients because it seems to reduce anxiety and how it is easy to apply. The researchers conducted a controlled experiment by having a control group (no hypnosis during tooth removal) and an independent group (hypnosis then tooth removal). 102 patients from a dental practice (51 patients in each group) were assigned to either no hypnosis (controlled group) or with hypnosis (independent group). All of the tooth extraction patients received anesthesia. They then began the tooth extraction and people in the independent group were hypnotized with a prerecorded procedure from a CD player. After the tooth extraction, people in the independent group were dehypnotized. Lastly, both of the groups were asked about their anxiety levels after and during the extraction. The independent group was asked about the effectiveness of

In dealing with these fears, there is need to coordinate the causes with a professional approach to handling them based on those identified in each patient. These are part of the professional obligations of the dentists (Ozar & Sokol, p.15). Cause of fear differs from one patient to another, as well as the solution to it. These majorly deal with the alleviation of the fear. The fear normally grows further if the patient uses a dentist they may not