Don't Let Dental Fear Cause Pain

By Todd Cooper, DDS

Tidewater Dental

. http://www.tidewaterdental.com/

More Dental Health Articles

Don't Let Dental Fear Cause Pain

Many people have a fear of visiting the dentist. Sometimes it's from an early dental experience originating many years ago before technological advancements in the dental industry made dental procedures much more comfortable. Other times the fear is brought on through interactions the patient has with individuals, usually a parent or sibling that taints the prospective patient's view of going to the dentist.

Regardless of where the fear comes from, it is generally agreed that a visit to the dentist can cause a sense of discomfort and an invasion of privacy, which may lead to heightened levels of anxiety. Our mouths are very personal spaces and it can be quite sensitive as well. Discomfort is confused with pain and when there is pain involved, everything becomes uncomfortable.

Real pain and problems occur when a patient's fear of the dentist is so debilitating that it keeps the patient from seeking necessary treatment. To be sure that these patients still get the care they need, sedation dentistry is an option.

Full mouth rehabilitation can be performed in a short amount of time, providing the patient with an attractive, healthy smile in as few as one or two visits. The medication used, provides a twilight-like experience for the patient, where they are responsive to the caregivers but often times do not recollect any of the procedures when the medication wears off. For children and patients with minor anxiety the doctors will often times provide Nitrous Oxide (laughing gas) during treatment which is also very effective in reducing anxiety.

The key is to get the patient to the office. Many times patients have come to the dentist after not being to the dentist for many years. They require medication to reduce their anxiety; but once they see the facility, meet the staff and go through a procedure, the next time they come in, they don't require sedation. The dark cloud that they casted over going to the dentist is lifted. They realize their fear was unjustified and the procedures were not painful like they thought or remembered.