Many people are willing to tolerate the torture of dental pain than seeing a dentist; this is called dental fear. Dental fear -also known as dental anxiety- is common worldwide, and if neglected, it can lead to devastating effects on the person’s oral health. In the following article, we will explain in detail the nature of dental fear and tips on how to successfully overcome it.
Dental fear is a strong emotional feeling against dentists, where an individual would despise the idea of visiting a dental clinic or despise specific parts of their appointment, such as the sound of the drilling handpiece or seeing the anesthetic needle.
This type of anxiety can develop due to various reasons, mainly having encountered a traumatic dental experience in the past, thinking all visits would bring a similar trauma. Another common reason is when a patient would fear being judged by the dental practitioners and their assistants regarding their existing dental problem.
Moreover, fearing a dentist would prevent people from receiving optimal dental care. If left untreated, it would worsen the already existing dental problem, leading to serious consequences, thus managing such an issue is of the utmost importance.
The following are some tips you can take on to help make you less anxious while visiting a dental clinic.
Dental fear is a challenging matter and could affect your lifestyle in various aspects; therefore, you should not ignore it. There are many steps that you could follow which would help you process and manage your fear, such as choosing the right clinic with experienced dental practitioners.