Understand fear

What is Dentophobia??

The dental phobia, also Dental anxiety or Oral phobia called, is a learned anxiety disorder from the spectrum of phobias. The patient suffering from Dentophobia has one panic afraid of the dentist visit. He therefore delays the treatment with the dentist for as long as possible (avoidance strategy). Often until the treatment can not be postponed due to very severe pain. In the worst case, dentophobia due to non-treatment of the teeth leads to massive damage to the dentition, associated chronic pain and aesthetic problems of the oral cavity.

Causes of Dentophobia

The most common reason for the panic before a dental treatment are the self-experienced negative experiences in a dental practice. Not infrequently, these experiences are decades back, but still shape the patient to this day. Even the negative experiences during a dentist’s treatment of relatives or friends can trigger a dendrophobia in the patient.

Another cause is the expectation of pain during the treatment. Even if in most cases the dentist’s visit is painless, many patients expect it to hurt.

Also, certain stimuli such as the sound of the drill or the smell in a dental office can cause pain in patients. Here, the patient has learned through classical conditioning that it must hurt when the sound of the drill sounds.

Another strong reason for the phobia in front of the dentist is the delivery of self-control. The patient feels delivered to the dentist on the dental chair and gives it no confidence (see also the article: fear of the dentist?).

Symptoms of Dentophobia

Dentophobia manifests itself in affected patients in tangible physical symptoms, often long before in the context of expectancy anxiety. These include:

palpitations
dry mouth
Hyperventilation or feelings of respiratory distress
Gagging / nausea and nausea
urination
Sleep disorders (see also sleep disorders)
increased blood pressure
Circulation problems

Often Dentophobiker grab at least herbal tablets for fear or even strong sedative tablets before the visit to the dentist, if they dare to even treatment.

Measures to treat anxiety patients

It is important for a dentist, Dentophobiker to recognize in time. Only when the dentist knows about the patient’s panic feelings can he optimally adjust to the patient and try to relieve the patient of the fear of treatment.

As a rule, the dentist asks existing illnesses before the first visit on the registration form. So also the fear of a dental treatment. In a detailed initial consultation, the dentist tries to gain the trust of the patient. He explains to the patient the course of treatment and explains the tools used to relieve the patient’s fear of it.

In addition, special treatments such as hypnosis or the use of nitrous oxide may also be conducive to the patient’s anxiety management. Here, the dentist should respond individually to the fears of his patient and ensure a low-irritation and gentle treatment of the patient as possible. The clear explanation of each treatment step is also an important aspect of a fearless dental treatment.

Frequently Asked Questions about Dentophobia

Is a treatment at the dentist at all connected with pain?

“No,” says the Vreden dentist Dennis Waskönig. Thanks to precise local anesthesia and general anesthesia, modern dentistry is capable of eliminating any pain that can be expected through dental treatment in advance. Patients therefore do not have to worry about pain at the dentist at all. More in his Youtube video:

How does the treatment with nitrous oxide work??

More and more dentists specializing in anxiety patients rely on nitrous oxide narcosis. The patient is treated with a nasal mask before the actual treatment. As a result, a nitrous oxide-oxygen mixture (oxygen content: at least 30 percent) is passed into the nose of the patient. The nitrous oxide has a relaxing effect on the patient. It reduces anxiety and at the same time has an analgesic effect. Even the unpleasant gagging is reduced by nitrous oxide in the patient. In addition, the patient is provided with a headphone with relaxing music, making the duration of the treatment as pleasant as possible.

When is a general anesthetic useful to the dentist?

General anesthesia is the most exorbitant solution to rid the patient of his anxiety. It is especially recommended for major surgical procedures in the jaw area, such as the insertion of implants. Even for anxious patients who are particularly panicky and refuse treatment with nitrous oxide despite anxiety attacks, a general anesthetic can be useful in the last step.

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