Overcoming Dental Anxiety and Phobia

Dental phobia or dentophobia is an excessive and paralyzing fear of the dentist causing individuals to persistently avoid seeking dental care. Situations which may cause distress include reaching out to make an appointment, receiving exams, cleanings, and undergoing minor or major procedures.

Individuals who have dental phobia have immense difficulty controlling or managing their anxiety so will often suffer with tooth or gum pain for months or even years before addressing the issue.

Making the phone call to schedule a visit and then actually showing up to walk through the door of the dental office feels unsurmountable. Frequent cancellations and rescheduling of appointments is the norm. 

Fear After Fear After Fear 

When you have dental anxiety, the unending list of fears is long and wide. The numerous possibilities for pain keep playing in your mind.

 Fear of needles and injections is a common one.

 Fear of being numb or sedated trigger anxieties about being out of control.

 Fear of having a panic attack is yet another possibility that might plague you.

 For some, the fear is not only about what lays ahead but what could go wrong. What if the dentist makes a mistake? What if there’s a complication? What if you pass out?

 For those of you have avoided the dentist for a long time, you may fear getting bad news about all the work that needs to be done. You may be worried about judgment from your dentist along with feeling embarrassed you’ve waited so long to come in. 

Your Fears Are Not Irrational

Many individuals know why they’re afraid of the dentist. Typically, anxiety about going to the dentist stems from past negative or traumatic experiences. This may have been due to a deeply upsetting encounter with an uncaring or dismissive dentist or a situation where a dentist caused you active harm. You may also have had a procedure which caused more damage or a situation may have occurred at the dentist office where you felt extremely frightened or alone. A parent in your childhood may have unintentionally caused you trauma in how they handled a stressful dental situation. 

Some signs you may have trauma from a past dental experience:

• You can recall a time before the distressing experience when going to the dentist was a non-event. It may not have been easy but it did not fill you with deep dread, fear, and anxiety the way it does now.

• You have vivid memories of the distressing experience that, no matter how much time has passed, feel just as intense and strong.

• Even though you’re in great pain or discomfort, you go to great lengths to avoid going to the dentist.

 There are also those individuals who have never experienced anything distressing at a dentist office but have displaced anxieties from other upsetting events. For example, you may have had a terrible experience as a child getting shots at your doctor’s office and now needles or injections of any kind make you feel terrified. Or you had a traumatic experience where you felt trapped and the thought of sitting in a dentist chair for a long procedure brings to mind feelings of being trapped. 

What to Look for in a Caring Dental Practice

When you’re struggling with intense fear of the dentist, it’s important to find someone who is actively sensitive and knowledgeable about how to treat anxious patients with care and concern.

The first step is to reach out and let the office know about your dental anxiety. Ask how they specifically help to support patients like yourself. Look for a response that demonstrates knowledge and thoughtfulness.

Some signs of this include not making you wait too long in the waiting room. Providing a soothing environment is another key sign. A patient-centered environment might offer massage chairs for procedures to ease tension, an overhead television with a selection of movies, or a sound system allowing you to listen to preferred music or podcasts.

Most importantly, ask how the dentist works with patient anxiety and various things they do to support you to have a calmer a more comfortable experience.

Breaking the Cycle of Fear 

Even though it can be helpful to understand why you’re fearful of the dentist and some basic ways to help with that, it’s important to know that healing from dental anxiety is possible.

When you’ve been carrying around fear and anxiety for so long, it’s hard to imagine a world where things can get better. Anxiety therapy can help you get to the root of the problem so that you are no longer just managing the symptoms of unwanted dental phobia but free of it permanently.

For more information about effective treatment options, please reach out so we can discuss best ways to support you.