Is Dental Anxiety Keeping You From Seeing a Dentist? Fear Not!
Fear and phobia of dentistry is a real issue for a percentage of our new patients and the dental population as a whole. Many of these patients have dealt with on-going dental problems due to a number of factors that relate to a traumatic event or memory. These factors include insensitivity from previous dental care providers, inadequate anesthesia during procedures, and/or inadequate explanations and education about their dental treatment. A patient’s lack of dental care often leads to decay, periodontal disease, tooth loss, and difficulty in eating and chewing. In addition, poor dental education about proper dental home care, dietary issues with decay-causing foods, and negative parental support may contribute to additional fears and phobias. Many of these issues happen unfortunately during childhood but young adults sometimes experience untoward dental events as well.
Shifting Fear into Cheer!
Perception of insensitivity, injections, and pain in a high anxiety environment is often difficult to overcome. A major step in the right direction in helping an anxious patient involves an empathetic, caring, “show and tell” approach supplemented with oral sedation, nitrous oxide, liquid anesthetics, and gentle techniques from the dental team. Following a positive interaction in the dental office, one can reflect on the experience through “adult eyes” and perceptions. This positive experience then becomes a building block for future visits and a regular relationship with a dentist and their staff.
We Can Help You
Over the last 30 years, I have helped thousands of patients transform their fears into smiles while improving their quality of life and dental health. Our team at Mission Trails Dentistry specializes in compassionate, comfortable dental care, utilizing state-of-the-art techniques, including sedation dentistry. It’s never too late to improve your dental health. For more information about how we can help you, please give us a call: 619-582-9700. We welcome new patients!