DENTAL ANXIETY:
- Psychologists say that the “Human mind is a dramatic complex structure in itself and emotion’s add too many shades to it”.
- We have so many emotions like happiness, sadness, anger, fear, and anxiety and it’s difficult to deal with them.
- It’s perfectly normal to have fear, anxiety, and phobias but the real problem starts when these emotions overpower your mind and hamper your health.
- A feeling of worry and unease Related to the hospital, treatment, and dental setting is called Dental anxiety.
Anxiety is common among many people due to certain reasons.
- It is usually seen in both children and adults.
- Fear related to visiting the hospital and going through procedures is common. Sometimes people hear negative points from family, friends, or online data regarding the disease or the treatment which contributes to the fear.
- When a person is surrounded by all this misleading, and negative information, anxiety starts to kick in.
- Patients with past head and neck region injuries or traumas are more prone to dental anxiety than normal people.
- Response to fear isn’t as very pleasant as we think it is. A dental expert will have to face extra challenges during the overall treatment. Excessive fear can only delay the treatment.
- Dental instruments surely aren’t very pleasant to the ears and are loud and scary instead.
- Anxiety can be triggered by seeing the not-so-fancy needles, x-ray machines, and the medical staff at the clinic.
- The fear associated with the negative experience can serve as extra fear in a bowl. Such fear can affect your current treatment.
- Injection of Anesthesia is the first major step in dental treatment and this first step itself stops people from even visiting dentists.
- Patients aren’t very calm in a clinic and as a result, they keep exploring various dental instruments and eventually start to fear even more.
- There are times when people are new to such treatments and lack of knowledge about their procedure causes them to panic.
- Whitecoat fear / Doctor’s coat fear can be observed in patients, especially the young ones.
- People let their appointments pass due to a phobia of treatment and hospital. It only increases the severity of their disease and delays the procedure.
- Delays in procedures can be a serious threat sometimes.
- The surrounding atmosphere can also trigger one to panic.
- The doctor should be informed in the beginning so that he/she can treat you accordingly.
DENTAL PHOBIA:
- Excessive fear associated with dental treatment and procedures is called dental phobia.
- Such patients hesitate to face their fear and avoid visiting the hospital for months and even years.
- Negligence due to phobia causes diseases and bad oral health.
- Gum-related diseases, caries, and eventually cavities will take over the oral cavity.
- Patients having systematic diseases like diabetes are more prone to diseases as the mouth contains millions of bacteria.
PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL CHANGES PRIOR TO DENTAL TREATMENT:
- Nervousness
- Fear
- Sweating
- Dizziness
- Mouth dryness
- Shortness of breath
- Nausea
- Increased heartbeats
- Fainting
- Crying
- Panic attacks
Read More: Acidic Diet vs Alkaline Diet: How High-Alkaline Foods Benefit Your Teeth
CALMING THE PATIENTS AS A DENTIST:
- Communication does magic when you are a doctor. Friendly behavior can ease off a patient’s increasing heartbeat.
- A pleasant, clean, and cheerful atmosphere can put a calm impression on patients.
- Dental clinics having light set-ups at the clinic can cause calming effects.
- Meditation can help patients to calm their minds.
- Long wait prior to treatment cause fear. The quick service right from the beginning when the patient enters the clinic is crucial
- Playing soft music in the background can have a soothing effect on the mind.
- Dentists must win the trust of their patients.
- Proper information regarding the treatment should be provided to the patient. Doubts should also be cleared immediately
- The patient should be asked to go through informative videos about the treatment. Such informative videos will boost their knowledge and their experience will be exciting.
- Lack of information will lead to fear.
- Patients with anxiety should be asked to exercise on a regular basis
- In case of severe anxiety, patients should be prescribed medications like:
- Diazepam
- Alprazolam
- Such medications will calm their anxiety and fear.
- In several cases, patients are given anesthesia to suppress their pain which is used to trigger their fear.
–In case of anxiety, visit your nearby dentist and save your teeth from undergoing severe diseases.
- Any issues regarding dental anxiety, visit Pathak dental clinic.
Find the clinic here: Get direction
Address: 11/11 Akurdi Chikhli Road, Near Dwarka Collection, Kasturi market, Sambhaji Nagar, Thermax Chowk, Below Nutan Jewellers, Chinchwad, Pune, Pimpri-Chinchwad, Maharashtra 411019
