Techniques to Curb Dental Anxiety 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

Sedation dentistry, which may be administered via oral pill, nitrous oxide (laughing gas), or through an IV, is designed to help patients relax prior to and during a dental procedure. Often times, patients don't remember much, if anything, about the procedure following sedation. It should be noted that sedation dentistry may be referred to as sleep dentistry, however, patients remain aware and cooperative throughout

The stigmatism attached to going to the dentist goes out the door when meeting the dental staff and their ability to get patient’s minds off of the procedure they are about to perform.

ith a weary face and sweaty palms, I walked into the gloomy dental offices as a yearly ritual. The intimidating environment of the office made me feel knots in my stomach. As a child I never enjoyed visiting dentists because I was convinced that these humans were merciless people who could not care less if I was in pain. Ironically, the lifetime career I seek for now is the career I disliked before. The decision to become a dentist developed when I had the desire to give children a better experience and a different perspective on professionals of this field. From my experience, the dentists were not gentle and did not give me time to collect myself before pulling a tooth out. Orthodontics is a profession that I am pursuing since I have consistently desired to work in a healthcare career that enables me to help people by using my interest and talents in hand motor and communication skills. I strive for perfection and work patiently, as well as diligently, which will help me throughout this profession. There are skills that I need to obtain such as shadowing or volunteering in a dental office, which is also part of the educational preparation needed for dental school. All of these talents combined are essential for a typical day in dentistry in which I need to create a safe and comfortable environment for the excessive amounts of patients daily

Sedation dentistry is a great asset to you if you fear dental appointments in general or only specific procedures. Sedatives used in dentistry are very safe and effective, and they can help you get your oral health back on track if you have skipped dental appointments due to overwhelming anxiety. If you have requested gentle oral sedation to help calm your nerves during your dental procedure, but remain fully awake, then be sure to follow these two steps to help your dentist provide the right medication and dose to keep you calm, yet awake, during your dental appointment.

You walk into the building, check in, then sit down in the waiting room. You try to sit comfortably and read the magazines that are provided for customers. But you know it’s no use. You’re too nervous and scared to do anything else. You can only wait in the sitting area, palms sweating and the constant shaking of your leg keeping you from absolutely losing it. You can only sit there and fill time till the dentist calls you in for your appointment. Through the years I’ve heard many stories of their dental experiences. Sometimes the stories are very dramatic and overall horrifying. Other times the stories are bright and went very easy for that person. I, on the other hand, have had a wonderful dental experience with your company, Mr. Kushner. I am an eighth grade student from Silver Hills Middle School, I am fifteen years old, and in Mrs. Moncada’s fifth period class. I was a loyal patient who would go to your business once a month for about two years. And before my experience there, my sister had been a patient for an additional two

A bit hard to overcome, many people have dental anxiety also known as fear of the dentist. Logical individuals are stopped from seeing a dentist and preserving the health of their teeth. Preventing difficulties prior to their start is vital for retaining healthy teeth. Problems occur because people who experience a fear of the dentist will evade going to a dentist. To avoid these problems such as decay and cavities it takes scheduled appointments with your dentist for cleaning. What happens when someone with the fear of the dentist ultimately goes to a dentist, is a minor problem, became a severe issue, and needs significant amount of work and involvement from the dentist. One reason for a fear of the dentist is the person had a bad

Nitrous oxide sedation is a popular option for patients with dental anxiety. Dr. Das, Dr. Darcey, or Dr. Pham may recommend nitrous oxide if you have mild to moderate dental anxiety. Nitrous oxide is one of the safest sedation methods for both children and adults.

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.

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

Dental care and treatment is a very important aspect in a person's life. Every individual wants a beautiful smile and so it comes without saying that you will need a dentist for certain procedures to be done. Fear and anxiety ,however, can prevent someone from paying the dentist a visit. These fears can be eliminated by a technique referred to as sedation dentistry. Certain sedation drugs in pill, intravenous or gas form are given to patients to help them to relax. Some dentists also use anxiety-relieving approches like music to put the patient in a relaxed mood. Below are four advantages of the sedation dentistry technique:

However, there is a way to get around the phobic reaction to dentists and that is with sedation dentistry. What this entails is the use of drugs that are designed to relax the patient thus reducing the anxiety of the visit. This does not mean that the patient is put to sleep, on the contrary, they are fully awake and aware of what is going on.

The assessment of dental anxiety before dental treatment will help the dentist to facilitate proper strategy for anxiety management. Higher levels of dental anxiety were also more likely exhibited by individuals with higher levels of self-consciousness. Moreover, the DAS (Dental Anxiety Scale) validity is supported by many studies and it is used to determine individual’s level of anxiety. Individuals who exhibited high dental anxiety were worse patients because they have a negative perception of treatment (Economou, 2003).

You can also read more about dental sedation here. Feel free to contact our office with any questions or concerns you may have.