Dental anxiety refers to the fear and stress of a patient in a dental setting. When a person is scared of making a visit to a dental clinic, it can cause a delay in immediate treatment. Most often, the patients are afraid that the needle might hurt them. Moreover, they also feel that the dentist will suggest tooth removal treatment.
Difference Between Dental Anxiety and Dental Phobia
People always get confused between the terms - dental anxiety and dental phobia. Although both dental anxiety and dental phobia can make a person avoid making a visit to the dentist's clinic, the two terms have different meanings. Dental anxiety is extremely common. People often feel afraid before and after making a visit to the dentist. Dental anxiety generally means fear of the needles.
Dental phobia is less common. Some patients feel extremely terrified and want to avoid making a visit to the dentist at all costs. These people will only make an appointment when the pain becomes unbearable. Usually, those who have had bad experiences previously, wish to avoid being in a similar situation.
What Causes Dental Anxiety?
There are several reasons patients can feel anxious in making a visit to the dentist. Here are some common causes of dental anxiety:
1. Fear of pain
Patients feel afraid because they know that the dentist will use the needles for the treatment. Usually, they had bad experiences in their childhood. However, they need to understand there have been a lot of improvements in technology and most dentists complete the treatment process without causing any pain. You won't be able to understand when your tooth got removed.
2. Anxiety of the injection or needle
Since dentists have to give injections to the patient for painless treatment, patients generally feel anxious that in case the injection or needle comes into contact with their nerves then it can cause a serious issue. However, the dentists are experienced and they regularly treat such patients.
There is no need to have dental fear because if the needle or injection comes in contact with nerves, it will temporarily make the skin senseless. It is important to make the tooth area senseless to complete the treatment without causing pain.
3. Phobia of getting side-effect
Most patients, nowadays, read information from online websites about some side-effects of medicines and they are believing that it will cause all the problems mentioned. However, several websites post wrong or misleading information. The reliable websites provide information about side-effects that are rarely seen of those medicines. It is worth noting that all the medicines have some side effects.
But, you will only get these side effects after regular consumption of the medicines for several months. Only those people complain about the side-effects who have poor immunity. Hence, boost your immunity and don't take medicines on a daily basis for months. You should take the medicine for a few weeks as recommended by the dentist.
How to cope with your dental anxiety?
1. You should talk with the dentist about your fears. Additionally, explain to the dentist that you want the treatment without going through the tooth removal treatment, if possible.
2. Be mindful of the treatment. You have to believe that the dentist is experienced and won’t hurt you in the treatment process.
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