For those who fear going to the dentist’s office, there are many more people around who share the same feeling as yourself. Dental anxiety is an issue that many adults face, from simple apprehension to a phobia strong enough to stop people from visiting the dentist for years at a time. It tends not to be spoken about, making it seem like something embarrassing to discuss when actually it’s probably one of the most common excuses people have for not getting treatment.
Why Dental Anxiety Happens
In most cases, the dental anxiety is not accidental. Usually, it comes from some particular unpleasant event that happened either during childhood years or not too long ago – either pain, a dismissive dentist or just a feeling of loss of control while lying in the chair and someone working on you inside your mouth. In other cases, it does not come from any particular events but is related to the feelings that are provoked by the very environment where the treatment takes place.
At the same time, there is one additional factor, as every year the person avoids seeing a dentist, the chances increase that the problem that needs to be treated already appeared. In other words, the anxiety actually makes things worse and creates a vicious circle.
The Cost of Avoidance
Bucking the dentist out of fear does nothing to solve the problem of teeth issues – all it does is postpone them, usually to the point where they have become more extensive and complex than what would have happened if they had been dealt with earlier on. A situation where you should have gotten a simple filling now ends up being one requiring a root canal, and gum disease at an early stage becomes a condition much more difficult to treat.
Besides the cost in terms of physical health, there is another cost as well – the low-level anxiety that comes from knowing that your appointment is due, along with the energy it takes to push the thought of going to the dentist out of your mind.
Practical Ways to Manage Dental Anxiety
There are a couple of factors which can really make the experience better. For example, informing your dentist about your anxiety beforehand can be very useful because you will know what to expect and they will be able to change their attitude – explain everything before they do something, check up on you from time to time or simply work slower. You may also come up with a signal, such as raising your hand, to stop them when you want.
Another useful thing is booking the first visit to the dentist as a simple check-up without starting any procedures right away after such a long break. And, of course, there are some people who prefer having their headphones and even a person accompanying them.
Finding a Practice That Takes Anxiety Seriously
Not all practices address dental anxiety in the same way, and it is worthwhile to go with a particular practice based on how they deal with nervous patients instead of thinking that all practices will react in the same way. A reputable Dentist Canberra locals rely on when dealing with patients suffering from dental anxiety should not have a problem addressing your issues even before scheduling an appointment.
If you have been avoiding making the effort to find a dental practice in Canberra that deals well with nervous patients, it will pay off to give them a call and simply ask them about how they handle patients with anxiety issues.
The Bottom Line
Dental anxiety is actually very common and nothing to do with being a weak individual, but it is highly manageable when the proper strategy and practice are employed. The difficulty is often in actually making that first phone call, after which everything else becomes much easier.
