Reasons to Fear the Dentist : Health Blog

Reasons to Fear the Dentist

Posted Apr 3rd, 2008 by Janelle -

For many people in the United States, going to the dentist is the worst possible thing.Â For some, this fear is grounded in bad experiences that theyÂ may have had at the dentist before while for others it may be due to horror stories that they’ve heard from other people who may have had bad experiences.Â Increasing numbers of dentist offices around the country are trying to make the idea of coming in for a visit not nearly as scary as it seems.

The Three D’s

There are three different types of reactions associated with going to the dentis.Â The first one is “dental anxiety”.Â While anxiety is normal to experience, many people develop dental anxiety upon going to the dentist because they may not know what the dentist is going to findÂ wrong with their mouth or teeth, etc.

The second type of reaction is “dental fear”.Â Â This usually occurs when the patient knows that they have to go back to the dentist for a certain type of procedure.Â One of the most common examples of this is a dentist telling a patient that they need to come back to have a route canal done.Â Traditionally, route canals are usually painful (although modern advances in the dental field has reduced this considerably).

The third type of reaction is “dental phobia”.Â This is a more extreme version of dental fear.Â This type of person typically knows that they have a dental problem which requires attention but will simply avoid going to the dentist altogether because their fear is so strong.Â However, they will eventually have to give in once the problem becomes quite serious.

Alleviating the Fear

The good news about fearing the dentist is that you are not alone.Â That being said, there are also many options available to you to help you work on overcoming this irrational fear.Â One option is medication.Â There are som people who require medication to help relieve the anxiety they feel prior to a dentist visit.Â However, the best way to truly overcome your fear is to research the dentist you’re going to use prior to your first visit.Â Meet with the dentist and voice your concerns about how procedures are done.Â Let him/her know your fears.Â They can offer valuable feedback to help alleviate your fears.Â Building a relationship with your dentist will also help you trust your dentist so that you won’t be afraid of him/her hurting you.

For more information on dental insurance from Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, contact BCBSNC today.

Tags: Dental Health //

2 Responses to “Reasons to Fear the Dentist”

Reasons to Fear the Dentist | Illenberger.org // Apr 4, 2008 at 11:16 am

[...] are many reasons to fear the dentist. After all, did you know that going to the dentist was ranked not that long ago as the number [...]
RT Cunningham // Apr 9, 2008 at 10:16 am

I have only one reason to fear the dentist. Pain. Me and pain don’t get along. I know, I know, it’s just needle, right? Hey, that hurts!

Reasons to Fear the Dentist

2 Responses to “Reasons to Fear the Dentist”

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