If you asked most people, they would tell you that going to the dentist is at the bottom of their list of favorite things to do. For many, it’s simply a matter of feeling that having dental work performed is unpleasant. But for others, it’s actually more than that. A large number of Canadians actually suffer from severe anxiety about visiting the dentist.
Let’s be honest, nobody really enjoys the feeling of having dental tools in their mouth, or the sound of a drill buzzing in their head. Given a choice, most of us would opt for just about any other activity! But at the end of the day, we all know that maintaining the health of our teeth is just something we ‘gotta do’.
For people who suffer from severe anxiety about dental work, it goes beyond simply disliking the sounds and sensations. The fear and panic that some people experience can lead to completely abandoning their dental health in order to avoid the experience of going to the dentist.
So what causes this dental anxiety? In most cases, the issue began early in the person’s life, when they had a negative experience during early dental procedures. As a child, we are all naturally afraid of things that are unfamiliar. As we get older and become more familiar, the fear subsides to the point where we are, as mentioned above, not exactly thrilled to visit the dentist, but we know we have to do it.
For people who suffer from dental anxiety, it is not a matter of outgrowing their fears, but rather that the fears continue to grow into adulthood to the point that the person is terrified and unable to visit a dentist. And there are some common issues that people with dental anxiety experience.
Previous Negative Experiences
In most cases, fear of the dentist occurs early in a person’s life. For those with anxiety, a negative experience is so memorable that they are unable to get past the experience, which leads to even more anxiety.
Fear of the Unknown
While our dentists at Enhance Dental Centre provide patients with detailed information about their treatment, patients who suffer from dental anxiety are unable to overcome their fear that something negative may happen during their procedure, even if it is something as simple as a dental cleaning.
Loss of Control
Dental work is invasive – there are no two ways about it. But for patients with dental anxiety, the loss of control and feelings of being ‘forced’ to lie in the dental chair can be overwhelming.
Fear of Pain
Patients with dental anxiety are willing to tolerate the pain caused by a cavity or other dental problem, but are unable to overcome their fear of pain that may occur during the procedure, in spite of knowing that anesthesia is available. This particular phobia goes hand in hand with two other common phobias:
Fear of Needles
Does anyone really enjoy receiving anesthesia for dental procedures? No – big needles are never pleasant. But for people with dental anxiety, the fear is so great that most times, they will refuse to receive anesthesia. This compounds the above fear of pain, and the blow fear of lack of anesthesia.
Fear of Anesthesia and Lack of Anesthesia
If a patient with dental anxiety is able to overcome their fear of needles, a common ‘replacement’ fear is that the anesthesia will not be enough to numb their nerves during dental work.
Fear of Drug Reactions
Many people suffer from fear of drug reactions – even people without dental anxiety. It can be frightening to take a new medication and wonder what type of reaction may occur. This fear is magnified for people with anxiety.
Fear Embarrassment
All sorts of embarrassing things can happen, to anyone. For people with dental anxiety, there is a great deal of embarrassment about their anxiety. Fear that nobody understands, fear that they will say or do something embarrassing during dental work etc.
As you can see, there are many triggers for people with dental anxiety. These fears are so significant that in many cases, the patient will forgo all dental treatment in order to avoid being forced to go through the experience.
The consequences of abandoning one’s dental health are vast. At Enhance Dental Centre, we have many options to help ease the anxiety our patients experience, thereby making it possible for them to receive the dental care we all need to stay health:
- The most important step is to come into our Vancouver dental clinic and talk with us. We understand that dental work can be a frightening experience. If we understand your fears, we can take whatever measures necessary to help you to feel safe and well taken care of before, during and after your procedure.
- We offer all patients the option of watching TV or listening to music during treatment. This distraction is almost always helpful, especially to our younger patients and patients with dental anxiety. I can also help reduce the noises made by some of the dental tools we use.
- If at any time during a procedure a patient feels they need a break or breather, we are happy to accommodate that.
- We offer a range of medication options that include nitrous oxide, sedatives both oral and IV, and complete sedation. Some patients may choose to take oral sedatives prior to arriving at the clinic. During our initial discussion, we can arrange a prescription for the patient to pick up the day before their procedure.
Summary
Having dental work is not much fun for any of us, but for those with dental anxiety, the fears and phobias are much greater. At Enhance Dental Centre, we provide many options to help alleviate our patient’s anxiety, and we offer a comfortable friendly and safe environment. If you suffer from dental anxiety, feel free to come in and talk to us about your treatment options.
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