Dental Fear Or Dental Phobia!
Fear and anxiety of the dentist and dental treatment are both significant characteristics that contribute to avoidance of dental care.
Anxiety associated with the thought of visiting the dentist for preventive care and over dental procedures is referred to as dental anxiety. It has been cited as the fifth-most common cause of anxiety. Phobia is persistent, unrealistic, and intense fear of a specific stimulus, leading to complete avoidance of the perceived danger.
Both dental anxiety and fear evoke physical, cognitive, emotional, and behavioural responses in an individual. This is a frequently encountered problem in dental practices. Anxiety is often closely linked to painful stimulus and increased pain perception.
Dental anxiety can arise due to multiple factors, such as
- previous negative or traumatic experience, especially in childhood (conditioning experiences),
- vicarious learning from anxious family members,
- individual personality characteristics such as neuroticism and self-consciousness,
- lack of understanding, exposure to frightening portrayals of dentists in the media, the coping style of the person, perception of body image, and
- the vulnerable position of lying back in a dental chair
Proper evaluation of the patient and identifying their source and level of anxiety can enable the dentist in deciding a proper treatment plan.
In our practice all the dental team from the receptionist and the nurses to the dentists will create for you a good atmosphere to relax and to forget your anxiety and fear.
A good patient–dentist relationship is crucial for the management of your anxiety. Our skilled dentists have good communication strategies enabling you to find your comfort.
All successful treatment will rest on dentist–patient cooperation, and thus a relaxed patient will obviously result in a less stressful atmosphere for the dental team and better treatment outcomes.
You must be logged in to post a comment.