What is dentophobia and how to overome it?

Dentophobia, or a fear of the dentist and dental treatments is quite common, and it affects patients of all ages and both sexes. Owing to this deep fear, patients with dentophobia rarely visit the dentist and only schedule an appointment as a last resort measure when toothache is so severe that it prevents them from functioning normally. However, modern dentistry offers effective measures of combatting the fear.

What are the causes of dentophobia?

Deep fear of the dentist is usually a consequence of negative childhood experiences with dentist appointments, for instance, of being held down during a procedure, dentists performing painful extractions of teeth or being treated without anaesthesia. Common stereotypes that dental treatment is painful make it even harder for affected patients to overcome dentophobia.

Dentophobia can be unwillingly induced or preserved in children by their parents. Children observe and may copy their parent’s behaviour at the dentist’s office and be influenced by the attitude towards dental treatments adults manifest in the presence of children. Parents unwillingly pass on their worries and negative attituded towards dentists onto their children, thus teaching them bad habits of avoiding regular appointments for instance.

Symptoms and consequences of dentophobia

Fear of the dentist is sometimes manifested by bothersome somatic symptoms such as indigestion, diarrhoea, stomach-ache and headache or sleep problems, as well as symptoms typical for phobias in general, namely muscle tremors, excessive sweating, and accelerated heart rate. In fear of pain patients often forgo all dental care treatments, which may result in significant deterioration of oral cavity health.

Undiagnosed and untreated problems add up and complicate treatment when the patient eventually comes to the dentist’s office for help. Tooth diseases and complications in the oral cavity may also cause serious systemic ailments. Dentophobia can indirectly worsen the quality of life of a patient suffering from it since poor health affects the patient’s state of mind and untreated and bad-looking teeth contribute to lower self-esteem.

Overcoming dentophobia

Innovative treatment methods

Modern dentistry now offers a wide range of innovative treatment methods that can also help overcome dentophobia. These include modern diagnostic methods such as CT scans and 3D Scanner imaging. State-of-the-art technologies allow the dentist to carefully and painlessly examine the patient to identify any irregularities, including those invisible to the naked eye, and later plan an effective treatment plan that the patient will agree to.

Good relationship with your dentist

A good relationship with your dentist is of fundamental importance to overcoming dentophobia. Both the dentist and the patient should be committed to making their relationship satisfactory and lasting. The former should be empathetic towards the patient and take into consideration both their needs and expectations and their concerns and fears. The dentist ought to explain all identified problems in detail and describe the different procedures that will be taken throughout the treatment, as well as mention any potential complications. Also, patients will feel safer and more comfortable when all the actions of the dentist performed during a given appointment are explained to them so that they know what to expect. Fear of the unknown and stress induced by uncertainty intensifies dentophobia.

As for the patient, they must understand the need and the importance of the dental treatment recommended, as well as the consequences of avoiding it. The patient should tell the dentist about all the problems and ailments they are suffering from and communicate any questions and comments they may have and be frank about their fear of dental treatment. Overall poor systemic and mental health of the patient may be conducive to problems during treatment, and sometimes patients are so overcome with fear that they are not capable of cooperating with the dentist, which hinders the latter from performing the treatment, and refuse to have certain necessary procedures done.

Relaxation before and during the appointment

The fear of the dentist may be alleviated with the help of relaxation techniques. Patients with dentophobia should perform regular relaxation exercises at home and learn breathing techniques to calm themselves down.

It is essential for the patient to be able to relax at the dental clinic and in the exam room before and after the procedure. “At Maxx Clinic we are highly committed to creating a friendly, pleasant and family-like atmosphere. Patients with dentophobia find it soothing to be surrounded by great-looking and cosy interiors and have relaxing music playing in the background”, explains xxx, Maxx Clinic owner. “We know that our dedication to offering the best patient care both in terms of the highest medical standards and providing emotional support, as well as building long-standing relationships with our patients pays off. The key to success is to combine all these issues, namely, to ensure a friendly atmosphere at the clinic and provide access to state-of-the-art dental treatment methods and procedures warranting effective treatment”, xxx adds.