Dental Anxiety

 

We all get a little nervous when have to go to a dental visit, however there are people who in fact have dental anxiety or dental phobia, this phobia makes their dental visit a terrifying.  Even if most dental procedures aren’t painful the thought of just having an exam done gets patients with dental anxiety stressed out that people with this phobia will do anything to skip a dental appointment.  An estimated has been shown that 9% to 15% of Americans avoid seeing the dentist this is about 30 million to 40 million people due to the anxiety and fear that attacks them.  Survey shows that many of these people don’t visit the dentist regularly main reason being fear.

What is dental anxiety you may ask?  Anxiety is the feeling of worry nervousness and at times also unease, this typically happens when you think about an event with an uncertain outcome.  That is why dental anxiety takes over many people who often put a dental visit up for years. These people who have this condition will put up with gum infections, tooth pain, gum disease and even broken/ chipped teeth. People with dental anxiety or phobia are not only candidates for gum disease but are also at a higher risk of early tooth loss. Not only are they candidates for gum disease and tooth loss but also for damaged and decolorized teeth which can lead to consciousness and insecurity. Not only that but also loss of self- esteem is another outcome of this condition.

Some of causes of dental anxiety are pain, embarrassment, the feeling of being helpless, and negative past experiences. The fear of pain has shown to be very common this may be because of early dental visits before there was any of the pain free dentistry, this is accompanied by the negative experiences that they have had in the past. Anyone who has had experienced a painful or uncomfortable experience is more likely to be anxious. Also, another very common problem for people with dental anxiety is the embarrassment; this embarrassment is caused because they might feel ashamed of having a stranger look into their mouth which makes them feel self-conscious about themselves. Lastly, the feeling of being helpless, many people adhere this from the thought of being sat on chair still and not knowing what is going to happen, not being able to be in control is a main trigger to anxiety.

There are several symptoms to this dental anxiety or phobia, some might be being tense or not being able to sleep the night before the dental visit, when the thought of a dental visit makes you want to cry or makes you physically ill, another symptom is being increasingly nervous when being in the waiting room. Not only are these the symptoms but there are more in case you panic or have trouble breathing even placing objects in your mouth at the time of your dental visit. If you feel like any of the symptoms describe you let your dentist know about your feelings and thoughts or concerns, this will help us, help you overcome them. If you have any questions or concerns please let your friendly Santa Ana Dentist Dr. Danial Kalantari at our office Smiles on Bristol Dentistry./contact-us/