Has it ever happened to you that a sudden fear settled in when you planned to visit a doctor? If so, then you are suffering from dental anxiety, but the good part is that you aren’t alone.

 Though it may sound counterintuitive at first—hesitating or showing reluctance to undergo a process that brings positive change to your teeth—it has become a clearly noticeable problem in Australia. In fact, a national survey made a revelation that almost 16% Australians experience high dental fear.  Crucially, this fear, too often, makes people keep delaying their essential treatments, which compounds dental issues with time.    

Our goal with this blog is to help readers( experiencing dental issues) dismantle this fear and embolden them to visit a dentist to get the treatment done on time. The blog offers actionable tips that are effective for people of all ages.     

What is Dental Anxiety? 

Dental anxiety refers to the fear or hesitation an individual feels when it comes to visiting a dentist for treatment. Its scientific name is Odontophobia. Fear of the dentist ranges from mild unease to intense distress, forcing the individual to keep delaying the dental treatment or avoiding it altogether. Common symptoms of dental phobia include the following:

• – Feeling of unrest in the days before visiting a dentist
• – Racing heart, nausea, or shortness of breath
• – Fear of the pain of needles, tweezers, and other invasive dental surgical instruments

Common Causes Of Dental Visit Anxiety   

1- Past Negative Experiences:

Too often, unpleasant past experiences refuse to leave an individual’s mind, and this rings true in the case of dental treatments. Painful teeth whitening sessions or traumatic tooth extraction procedures, even if performed 2-3 years ago, can cause hesitation to settle in. Similarly, the bad experiences of other people— who you know or have seen undergoing a painful procedure— may aggravate the anxiety.  

2- Sensitivity To Sounds And Smells:   

Some people are sensitive to the operational sounds of dental instruments and the odor of liquids used during the procedures. Days before the treatment, a dental patient may experience vicarious discomfort as the mind rehearses voices and visuals associated with the dental procedure. As a result of these mental exercises, a patient may develop a fear of the treatment.

3- Embarrassment About Oral Health: 

 It is a prevalent yet under-acknowledged factor for dental phobia. Certain individuals act self-consciously about their teeth’s appearance or bad breath, delaying dental treatment for fear of being judged as careless in terms of personal care. This potential fear of being judged by people often translates into dental phobia.

8 Practical Tips To Surmount Dental Visit Anxiety

1- Acknowledge Your Anxiety:

This is the first step of managing your dental phobia. Admitting the fear of undergoing a tooth-related treatment allows you to take control of your nerves. Furthermore, it helps you to prepare to manage the potential discomfort you will experience as a result of the dental treatment.

2- Practise Relaxation Techniques:

Try to calm your nerves before the big day arrives. In this context, breathing techniques come in handy; they help to relieve tension and anxiety, injecting a sense of normalisation. To perform this exercise effectively, sit in soothting place, close your eyes while letting your body parts relax. Then, inhale through your nose for 7 seconds, hold the breath for 7 seconds, and release it through your mouth in the same time.

3- Use Distraction Methods:  

This tip is super effective in the time of treatment. Plug the earbuds into your ears, and then play your favourite song playlist. This helps to rewire your focus and compels the mind to direct attention to pleasant things, the ones you love. Besides auditory distractions, visual distractions are an option to be reckoned with. You can ask the dentist to play a movie on the screen situated in front of you; doing so will help to alleviate the perceived pain during a root canal or tooth extraction. 

4- Bring A Support:    

Having a support person along the way to the dentist’s clinic is a source of consolation and reassurance. That person may be a close friend or family member who will use their words to distract your mind and help relieve tension that may otherwise escalate.  

5-  Visualize Positive Outcomes:

To cope with dental fear, start visualizing positive outcomes: a resplendent, confident smile, and savouring your favourite foods ache-free. Analogize the treatment phase to a race full of hardship, but at the end, there is a prize for the winner. With this mindset, you can easily undergo the treatment without allowing the fear to overcome you.

6- Consult a psychologist

If the dental fear progresses to an intense level, seek professional assistance by visiting a psychologist. This medical professional uses their expertise to diagnose the level of the problem( dental phobia) and then suggests the following coping mechanisms:

• – Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBA) to rewire distressing thoughts
• – Exposure Therapy to slowly hibernate fear-causing triggers
• – Relaxation and hypnosis techniques guided by a trained therapist

7- Open Communication

Building a rapport with the dentists goes a long way to restricting discomfort in a controlled state during the treatment. This can be achieved by practising open communication: establishing gestures such as raising a hand to indicate to the doctor to pause briefly, or ease on the instrument being used.  

8- Schedule Wisely:

Choose an appointment that supports your natural mood and reduces stress levels. Early day appointments usually work for the fact that stress hormone is at its low that time compared to midday. In addition, post-treatment, we get enough time to rest for the sake of recovery.  

You’re Almost Ready For The Dental Revamping

Now that you are well aware of the techniques to cope with dental anxiety, it is time to undergo the dental treatment you have been delaying for long— obviously, under the supervision of a reliable dentist.   

If you’re residing in Melbourne, Australia, place your trust in Ezy Dental. They have a team of expert dentists who practise empathy with the patient and use techniques to keep discomfort within restricted limits. So, don’t let dental phobia hold you back from acquiring the treatment your oral health needs at the moment. Book an appointment with us today and say hello to functional and charming teeth.