Oral health is important in maintaining the normal functioning of our lives. Our overall health is linked with oral hygiene and given the fact that oral health is crucial for comprehensive health it is necessary to get teeth checked regularly.
But there are individuals who often found themselves restraining from dental procedures and dental checkups due to a thing called dentophobia. So what is actually dentophobia? And are there any types of dental phobia?
So it is necessary to understand the minute details of dentophobia as this can produce some grave side effects on the general health of those individuals.
This blog aims at developing the basic information about dentophobia. So without any further ado, let us jump straight into the discussion.
Table of Contents
Overview
Dentophobia is defined as a strong feeling of fear and anxiety which is associated with dental procedures.
People with this phobia may even feel fear and agitation when they think about going to the dentist and or when they visit the dentist in person. These individuals often unintentionally neglect the importance of orthodontic care.
There are a bunch of things that can be held responsible for this behaviour. But before going into the details of that, let us settle a major baffling thing which is frequently used along with dental phobia and it is called dental fear.
Dental Phobia or Dental Fear?
Though the terms are interchangeably used, there are marked differences among both of the terms.
The term dental fear refers to the feeling of worrying about some part of dental procedures. It could be any instrument or it could be the fear of syringes used in dental treatments. Also fear doesn’t present itself unless or until that main thing comes up to the surface.
On the other hand, dentophobia is a much powerful form of fear. It may include the onset of anxiety and panic attacks. It can also cause distress and perturbation which compels an individual to give up on dental treatments.
The American Psychiatric Association recognizes dentophobia as a specific disorder which needs to be treated properly. With that being said, it is a real phobia and there is nothing wrong in discussing it and getting the appropriate treatment for it.
Now as we are aware of the main difference between dental fear and dental phobia, we should discuss the main causes of dentophobia.
Causes Of Dentophobia
The main reason for dentophobia, the fear of dentists, is any bad past experience which got stuck in your mind.
And as with many phobias, you can’t do much about dentophobia. Despite your great efforts, the feelings and sentiments associated with the dental procedures are terrifying for you.
The actual cause of dentophobia is varied for different individuals. For some people it is the fear of needles and for some individuals it is the fear of blood and anaesthetics.
Needles
Many people are afraid of needles and they will try their best to avoid dental treatments just for this reason. The type of dental phobia which is often pronounced as trypanophobia.
Blood
Also there are individuals who have a constant fear of blood and they can get anxiety and strong panic attacks by the mere notion of blood. So a place where they get to see real blood will only add in their already existing anxiety.
Anaesthetics
As far as anaesthetics are concerned, people often attribute some apprehensions and qualms with the use of anaesthetic.
The worrying and cumbersome thoughts about the use of anaesthetic often cross the minds of many people. These people also fear the side effects of anaesthetics on their body parts.
Dentist
Many people also face dentophobia by the mere thought of visiting a dentist. This is because they might have had a terrible past experience with the dentist in the past. This type of dentophobia is called latrophobia.
Embarrassment
There are some cases when people avoid going to the dentists in order to evade the feeling of embarrassment. They always fear that the dentist or dental hygienist is going to scold them over their bad oral hygiene or in other cases the dentists are ready to break some dreadful news to them.
Noise and Smell
For some it could be the noise of dental instruments and machines which give them anxiety. And for some people it might just be the aroma and smell of the dentist’s clinic and working area which might give them a severe anxiety attack.
There are many other things that can be added in the list and with that being said, it is important to consider that according to an estimated value, there are 2.7 % of men and 4.6% of women who are dealing with this dentophobia.
Symptoms of Dentophobia
As there are different causes of dentophobia in the similar manner there are different symptoms of dentophobia.
The symptoms are diverse and these symptoms can appear in different ways in different people. Also the degree of severity of symptoms depends on affected individuals.
On a baseline, these symptoms are frequently observed in people with dentophobia.
- Chills
- Excessive sweating
- Loss of consciousness
- Low blood pressure
- Low blood glucose
- Heart palpitations
- Nausea
- Trembling or shaking
So what can be done in this regard? How can the symptoms of dentophobia be alleviated?
Well to assist you in this regard, we have sorted out a bunch of different treatment options that can be done in order to avoid the full blown dentophobia.
Treatment Options For Dentophobia
Therapies
Dr. Zargham Ayub who is one of the top dentists in Pakistan says that there is a huge variety of therapies available to assist people suffering from dentophobia. The therapies include psychotherapy which aims at clearing all the misconceptions which a person could have in mind.
Along with that, exposure therapy which is a type of psychotherapy can also help in this regard. It includes visiting the dentist office on a regular basis and without any certain cause. After some time, you will find yourself at home with the clinic and the ambience of that area will not trigger any panic attack.
Cognitive behavioural therapy is also similar and it makes you feel accustomed with the dental procedures. Read this article and find out which therapy is the best fit for you.
Medications
As it is a real phobia and the outcomes are also far reaching so taking medicines can also help in this regard.
This is entirely dependent on your doctor’s approach. There are medicines which can work by alleviating and reducing the anxiety and symptoms associated with dentophobia like low blood pressure and dizziness.
Relaxing Tips
It may sound more of a grim task to focus on relaxing tips during the dental procedure. Certainly it is a difficult task. So follow these relaxing tips prior to entering the dentist’s workplace.
- Reassure yourself of the fact that whatever you are going through in the dental procedure will only bring good results.
- Try some breathing exercises to stay calm and to avoid the anxiety.
- You can bring some books or listen to any music which can help to reduce anxiety.
- Ask your loved one to accompany you during your procedure.
Sedation
Your dentist can help you by offering some sedatives during the procedure. Consult your doctor and discuss the dose of sedatives. Also it is better to make your doctor aware of any health concerns prior to the administration of sedatives.
Distraction
Distraction can go a long way in managing the symptoms of dentophobia. Engage yourself in some activity then indolently sitting and flooding your mind with dreadful thoughts.
The Bottom Line
Dental health and hygiene has significant effects on your comprehensive health. Avoiding dentists owing to dentophobia will only put detrimental effects on your health. There are different strategies which can help to cope up with dentophobia. If you want to get this phobia treated by therapy, then make an appointment today with the best psychiatrist in the area. Evading the main reason of dentophobia will not bring any good to your health. To stay updated on health care issues, visit our website healthwire.pk.
