Dental Fear
Coping With Dental Anxiety
Dental Fear Management Albury
Does the thought of going to the dentist make you shiver in fear? Do you avoid visiting your dentist for dental treatments?
These might sound ridiculous – but they are real.
Studies show that patients fear three things in the dental office — loss of control, embarrassment, or pain.
Dental fear or anxiety is common and potentially problematic, both for the patient and for the dental team in managing such patients. Furthermore, it still presents a major barrier to the uptake of dental treatment.
What is Dental Fear?
Dental fear is the anxiety or stress in a dental setting. Fear of seeing the dentist can result in delaying or skipping dental treatment.
Dental fear can be triggered with certain things such as needles, drills or the dental chair.
When dental anxiety becomes serious and results in irrational fear and complete avoidance of going to the dentist, it can be considered as dental phobia.
Symptoms of Dental Fear
People with dental fear may experience the following:
- Sweating
- Racing heartbeat
- Heart palpitations
- Low blood pressure
- Fainting
- Crying
- Panic attacks
- Anger
- Visible distress
- Withdrawal, not speaking to anyone
- Aggression
- Trouble sleeping before your appointment
- Nervousness that gets worse over time
- Constant, nagging worry
- Feeling overwhelmed
- Racing thoughts
Anxious patients will routinely skip dental appointments and may find it difficult to attend to their dental treatments.
How to Cope with Dental Fear
If you’re wondering whether you should talk with your dentist about your fears and worries, the answer is definitely yes.
If your dentist knows your fears, we can better work with you to find out the best ways to make you less anxious and more relaxed.
Here are some ways to help you cope:
- Ask your Albury dentist to explain what’s happening at every phase of the appointment or procedure so that you can prepare for what’s to come.
- Establish a hand signal (e.g. raising your hand) to let your dentist know that you’d like them to stop what they’re doing. Use it when you become uncomfortable, want to rinse your mouth or need to catch your breath for a moment.
- If sounds are the problem, use earbuds to listen to your favourite music.
- If your anxiety is severe, your Albury dentist might recommend using nitrous oxide gas or IV sedation to help calm it.
Dental Fear Management in Albury
If visiting the dentist scares you to the point of missing your appointments for treatment, talk to us. Your Albury dentist will discuss the available options that suit your preferences.
Don’t let fear stand in your way of good oral health! We can help you get the care that you need.
Give your Albury dentist a call on (02) 6021 4171 today. Request your appointment online.
We are located at 525 Wilson St in Albury.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who can suffer from dental fear?
Is dental fear common?
Several people fear the dentist so intense that they can be considered people with dental phobia. So yes, dental fear, as we can conclude, is way more common than it really needs to be.
What are the signs and symptoms of dental fear?
Even though everyone experiences dental fear in different ways, some of the most common signs and signals for this type of fear include:
- Feeling physically ill when thinking of visiting the dentist
- Having trouble sleeping the night before a dental procedure or dental exam
- Feeling nervousness that escalates while waiting to be examined
- Having difficulty breathing or feeling panic when objects are placed inside your mouth during dental appointments