If the idea of going to the dentist fills you with horror and anxiety, you are certainly not alone. Indeed, many people are so frightened to visit the dentist that they end up developing seriously painful dental problems that could easily have been avoided. For some people with dental fears, the main issue is fear of the unknown. For such patients, learning the truth behind some of the scariest dental fears can be extremely helpful.
1) Pain
Fear of experiencing pain might be the most common of all the dental fears. Perhaps you’ve heard a frightening story from a friend that has kick-started dental fears, or seen an inaccurate portrayal of a dental procedure that you’ve seen on television. However, you can rest assured that the cutting edge technology used in modern dental offices can make most procedures almost painless, with a very quick recovery time.
2) Shots
For some people, the king of all dental fears relates to the numbing shot, whether because of an inherent fear of needles or a worry that the numbing solution won’t be effective. Regarding the former, dentists are highly skilled at giving a quick and minimally painful shot. Regarding the latter, your dentist has vast amounts of experience in determining the right amount and time needed for numbing to kick in.
3) Control
One of the most difficult dental fears can be linked to loss of control in the dentist’s chair. Often, taking the time to find a dentist that you really trust and can talk to in a candid way will help to get rid of these types of dental fears, as it will make surrendering control much less scary.
4) Judgment
Other dental fears relate to social anxiety and worries about what the dentist and the dental team might think. For example, your dental fears might be about bad breath, unsightly teeth. However, dentists work with mouths all day, and (just like your doctor) your dentist will be looking at your mouth the way a mechanic looks at a car, not in a way that is linked to personal evaluation.