Dental Phobias

Dental Phobias and how to deal

by Dr. Kimberly Nguyen D.D.S.

We all hear it, again and again. We should go see our dentist every 6- month. But we don't go. The sad truth is the average American goes to the dentist about every 3 years! Most people are somewhat nervous about going to the dentist. It certainly isn't the beach or Disneyland. On the other hand, if you haven't been in a while, you are in for a HUGE surprise..

One common fear for dental patients is the fear of pain. Provided that you have selected an office where the dentist is kind and gentle, your experience should be extremely pleasant. If you don't like injections (shots), there is numbing gel. Placed before an injection, it numbs the gums. Injection techniques are also impor-tant. You'll be surprised how many times patients will tell us "I didn't even feel that."

The second thing that most people don't like is the 'drill'. Yes, the drill is loud and when the pitch gets higher, you're probably expecting it to hurt. That was my fear as a teenager. Well, things have changed. Now you can listen to your favorite radio station or watch a DVD during your treatment. Crank up the volume and you probably won't notice the drill.

If you're afraid that a 'cleaning' will hurt because of all the 'scraping," you'll be happy to know that with ultrasonic cleaning, there is minimal scraping. The ultrasonic vibrations break the hard tartar into little pieces and water rinses it away. You'll be amazed at how quickly and painlessly a cleaning can be.

Most patients are afraid of the unknown and not being in control. We find that our patients do extremely well when we prepare them for what to expect. We let them know that we don't want to hurt them, and if they should need anything at all, we'll be happy to stop. Then our patients are given verbal and written instructions on what to expect after treatment so there are no unpleasant surprises.

On the other hand, some patients may need more to overcome their fear. Nitrous oxide (laughing gas) is available as well as anti-anxiety pills and even IV sedation by a board certified anesthesiologist if necessary.

All in all, there are a lot of different options available today to help you overcome any fear that you may have about going to the dentist.