One of the major reasons for not going to the dentist is fear or anxiety. While dental anxiety is understandable, the longer you leave your dental problems, the worse they become. And the worse they become, the larger the fear grows.
For those of us who visit the dentist regularly, this may seem absurd. But dentistry fear is so real and prevalent that it has its own clinical term: ‘dentophobia’. For some, it’s a mild anxiety that can be tolerated in the dental chair. For others, just the thought of the dental chair can cause them to break out in a cold sweat. Dental phobias tend to be established with bad experience earlier on in life.
The best course of action is to visit a dentist as soon as you can. Avoiding a visit will make dental health issues worse and may result in the kind of treatment that is causing the fear.
How can our dentists help you with your anxiety?
What is needed is a plan, which starts with a simple assessment. This will involve an examination, and several x-rays and photographs of your teeth and jaw to help identify holes, decay under existing fillings, possible wisdom teeth issues and bone levels of the jaw. We will discuss any concerns with you and your options for correcting what is wrong. It needs to be a plan that suits what you want to achieve and your budget.
You will then decide together the best way forward that will help you conquer your fear and restore your oral health.
We will start with the simple things and gradually work towards the larger issues as we help you overcome your fear.
To help make your procedure more pleasant we offer oral sedatives such as a mild sedative like valium. We also are happy to provide Nitrous Oxide(Happy Gas) on site for a small additional fee per session.
We have helped many patients work through their fear. For most, the treatment required is not as bad as they initially thought, and by the end of it, they are happy to continue with regular examinations. At the end you will have a smile that you can be proud of and be confident that you won’t have to wait until it’s too late to visit the dentist again.
