Fear And Lack Of Fear

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

     We humans especially, fear many different things: death, disease, old age, commitment, noises in the night, pain, responsibility, work, being too fat or too thin, or any number of other things. Some of our fears are reasonable and rationale, like the fear for our safety so we lock our doors at night, never walk alone on dark streets, and

Evidence increasingly shows that poor oral health is associated with functional disability that can lead to deficits and decline” (Overview of oral health, 2017). According to an article in the Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research, dental fear can have a significant impact on a person’s awareness of their oral health, as well as one’s pro-active steps towards prevention and treatment. Therefore, it is paramount in helping a patient alleviate their fear by listening to the patient, acknowledging their concerns, and taking things slowly (Yildirim,

Dentistry has always been on my mind ever since I watched the Pixar film, “Finding Nemo.” Finding Nemo was the first time I ever witnessed a dentist in action, and although it was quite traumatizing because of how the patient was screaming in the chair and how Pixar decided to use a little girl, who wore an intimidating style of braces and hurt fishes on her free time, as one of the antagonists in the film, I was curious to know what was happening in that chair that the director did not want the audience to see. Despite this, the combination of these negative portrayals in Finding Nemo did not make a dental office my most favourite place in the world; however, my opinion soon changed when I met my first dentist, Dr. Le.

Fear; whether looked at as a positive or negative fear is undoubtedly a driving force for action. To fight or fly past this strange and sometimes crippling emotion can be challenge. It will never leave the back of your mind unless you take action. I was in fourth grade at the time my Grandfather was struggling with dialysis. I remember walking into the room where he received treatment and being scared to the point of tears of the sickly, pale and disable people also in the room. I knew my grandfather was there but it just did not seem like it was the real him as he was one of the faces I was scared of the most. Shortly after his passing the choir took at trip to sing at a nursing home. As I walked in I was immediately panicked to the

Health care has been an issue for the United States of America for multiple years. Dental care, a topic that does not get much attention because people believe it is trivial, plays a major part in people’s lives, particularly children. Gerard van Honthorst’s The Tooth Puller shows a dentist pulling a patient’s tooth with five observers watching. Van Honthorst shows how in awe or scared people are of the dentist. There is a negative outlook on dentists and dental care: people are afraid of the dentist giving them their negative connotation, while dental care only causes pain in many people eyes. There is a problem in the health care system and improvement in the system is needed because health care is a right for every citizen, especially dental care. The United States of America’s government should allow dental therapist to conduct the procedure that normal dentist conduct for free for children under the age of twelve. The government should fund the teaching, training, and employment of dental therapists to care for underserved people.

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

“The Gift Of Fear,” a psychology book written by Gavin De Becker, is an extremely useful and informative read. It gives valuable advice about how to act upon human intuition, how to recognize threats, and defines what real fear is and it’s purpose. I found the book to be extremely interesting. This book provided me with a sense of understanding on violence and fear and I feel much better prepared when it comes to recognizing dangerous situations.

Another cause for people having fear is the past experiences they have had. Generally, if something bad has happened to somebody, they try to forget about it and/or they try to make sure it never happens again. However, in doing so, they still have a subconscious fear that something similar to the terrible event they’ve experienced may somehow manage to happen again, especially if there are a few similarities between the past event and the current situation. For example, if a man had surgery for his heart to perform better and he nearly died, he may be very reluctant to ever have surgery to his heart or any other body part(s) again.

(Clearwater, Florida) According to Colgate.com approximately 9 to 15 percent of Americans fail to visit a dentist as they suffer from a dental phobia, and this equals 30 to 40 million Americans. Some report they fear pain during their dental treatment, with others stating they don't like the feeling of helplessness they experience when in the dental chair. The closeness of the dentist as he or she does the work also accounts for some individuals avoiding the dentist. Regardless of why one experiences this fear, FeatherSound Smiles, a Clearwater Cosmetic Dentist, can be of help.

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!

Fear is something every single human being has at some point in their life. When you are in dangerous, threatening, or scary situations, fear is what your body will feel. It is the ability to identify danger and make a choice to either confront that fear or flee from the situation like for example, if you were to break a vase, you would hide from your parents. That choice is completely up to the victim, and depends on the person. Although fear is handled differently by every person, it is a common emotion that everyone feels. Some seek out to overcome their fears, and seek the feeling of adrenaline they get from overcoming. Others flee the situation and don't think twice about trying to overcome their fear. In worst case scenarios people freeze

In dentistry, anxiety is categorized into two: Dental phobia and dental anxiety. A person with dental phobia tends to avoid treatment maybe because of unpleasant experience in the past. Dental anxiety, by contrast, relates to the psychological and physiological variations of a non-pathological fear response to a dentist’s appointment or treatment. Individuals who cancels, avoids, or postpones dental visits are the anxious patients (Bhola and Malhotra, 2014).It is a major dilemma in pediatric dental practice and it exists in a considerable proportion of children and adolescents. According to the study of Gao et al (2013), about 6-15% of the world's adult population avoids dental care due to dental anxiety and dental phobia. The catastrophic

Dental anxiety is known to be a significant problem for both the patient and the clinicians. Avoidance of dental appointment due to anxiety is common which can lead to delayed management, prolong pain and thus create a negative cycle of cumulative anxiety and increasing avoidance (Lahmann, Schoen, Henningsen, Ronel, Muehlbacher, Loew, Tritt, Nickel & Doering, 2008). Development of dental anxiety is usually associated with traumatic expectations associate with dental treatment. Pain or fear of pain is often a key source of anxiety and a cause of negative dental experience. Administration of local anaesthetics tends to be the major anxiety-provoking stimulus. Appropriate management to reduce or eliminate fear induced by dental injection can be equally beneficial to the patient and the clinicians. This is critical in children as what we do now can have an significant impact on their perspective on oral health for life. This is the stage where dental therapist wants to build a solid foundation that will shape positive attitude and behaviour as they transit into adulthood.

Some of the reasons why human cannot be fearless are “Fear is healthy”, “You don’t need to be in danger to be scared” and “Fear is not as automatic as you think”. (Tsaousides) First reason that Tsaousides mentions in his article “7 Things You Need to Know About Fear” in Fear means healthy brain. “Neuroscientists have identified” that the chemical that causes the brain to behave when in fear is completely normal and it’s a sign of healthy brain. He goes as far as saying that “fear is part of normal brain