Dental appointment is no less than a nightmare to some people. Among other health concerns, oral health is the most important because it’s a gateway to everything that our bodies consume. It should be clean and hygienic. However, according to research, about 3 to 5% of the population have dentophobia – a severe fear of going to the dentist and getting dental treatments done.
Scroll down to know what is dentophobia, and ways to overcome it. Also, understand how SmileOn provides a comfortable environment to help with your dental anxiety.
What is Dentophobia?
Let’s start with the term Phobia. It is referred to as a situation when any person is afraid of something or any situation to the extreme end. Moreover, the idea of doing it or going through that situation gives them fear and anxiety, and in some extreme conditions, they might get panic attacks.
So dentophobia is a condition when a person has a fear of dentist, is scared to go for an oral checkup, and undergoes any dental treatment. Whether it is a normal dental procedure or a complex one, he gets extremely scared of going.
Moreover, the thought of going to the dentist gives them extreme fear and anxiety. Dentophobia impacts a person’s physical condition, such as, he may have chills, shivering, rapid heartbeat, nausea, or panic attacks.
Understanding Dental Anxiety vs Dentophobia
Dental anxiety and dentophobia are two terms that often lead to confusion. Dental anxiety is a situation in which a person feels anxiety about going for a checkup and tries to skip the dental appointments. But later, somehow, with the passage of time, he manages to go for oral checkups when needed. So, we can say that dental anxiety is a condition that happens for a short period of time.
On the other hand, dentophobia is far from dental anxiety, it’s an intense situation. In this, a person feels extremely scared and doesn’t want to visit the dentist at all. It’s a long-term condition that causes fear of dentist, shortness of breath, nausea, stress, and panic attacks in people.
However, some people mix this term with Odontophobia. Whereas odontophobia is a fear of a particular procedure or dental treatment. If someone is scared just to undergo root canal treatment, he has odontophobia. There are other things that also come under this term, like the smell of a dentist’s clinic, sitting in a waiting area, etc. hence, we can say that odontophobia is a specific term.
Common Symptoms of Dentophobia
Dentophobia can cause multiple symptoms that vary from person to person. Feeling nervous is a common symptom; however, some others are:
- Rapid heartbeat
- Crying
- Anxiety
- Feeling grumpy
- Panic attacks
- Feeling dizzy
- Stomach upset
- Shortness of breath
- Low blood pressure
Moving forward, before the night of a dental appointment, a person may have insomnia. Moreover, it has been seen that the rate of dentophobia is higher in women than in men.
How to Overcome Dentophobia?
Luckily, there are numerous ways to treat dentophobia, but it all depends heavily on one’s will. Below, we are going to discuss some effective treatments to deal with dentophobia:
Medication:
Take medications to overcome anxiety, stress, and nervousness before visiting for a dental checkup.
Sedation:
You can go for sedation. After checking your overall health, the dentist will suggest the right sedation dosage. It will help you have a smooth dental treatment.
Therapy:
Therapies like cognitive behavioral therapy or exposure therapy help in improving your reactions toward dental treatments, and with regular exposure to the clinic, you can get used to it. Hence, this can help overcome this fear of dentists.
Ease Yourself:
Try to relax yourself by doing things you like. For instance, you can listen to music to distract yourself from a specific dental procedure. It will help divert your mind, and the dentist can easily perform the treatment.
How SmileOn Helps with Dentophobia
At SmileOn, we try to understand what dentophobia is and how it affects people. Dentophobia is having a bad impact on the overall oral health of most of the people out there.
We also know that therapies are way too expensive to take, and a number of patients can’t afford these therapies to overcome the fear of dentists and dental procedures.
That’s why, here at SmileOn, we have techniques and tips that help with your dental anxiety and dentophobia. For example, we have an extremely friendly environment, and staff who believe conversation is a great tool for overcoming dental anxiety and dentophobia.
Our trained and certified dentist sits with you and listens to your fears and concerns carefully before starting the treatment. We hope that you have a great experience. That’s why we deal with each patient according to his requirements. Moreover, we provide support and friendly talk based on individual concerns.
Conclusion
We know and respect everyone’s concern about dentistry. However, we have shared all possible symptoms and treatments related to dentophobia.
If you don’t want to spend a fortune on therapies, then visit SmileOn. We have a super comfortable environment and hygienically perform dental treatments. Book your appointment with us today, and you won’t regret your decision ever.
Moreover, we are a family dental clinic. From your grandparents to your kids, we can provide dental services to all. So, contact us now to get that confident smile back with SmileOn!