What is dental anxiety and phobia?

There are people out there that do not look forward to dental appointments. Even if the dental procedures aren’t painful, the examination alone can cause stress in some people. There are people who can live with anxiety when going to the dentist whilst there are people who are simply terrified on visiting the dentist. This is known as dental phobia. They will go to the extremes just to avoid a dental visit.

Phobias are intense and unreasonable fears. People can be afraid of a specific activity, situation, or object. Those with dental phobia will keep on postponing their dental care for years and years. They will even put up with periodontal disease, broken teeth, unsightly teeth, and pain.

Dental anxiety and phobia are very common. In fact, there are about nine percent to fifteen percent of Americans who have it. They avoid seeing the dentist because they are simply anxious or afraid. This translates to about thirty to forty million people. According to a survey conducted by the British Dental Health Foundation, thirty six percent of people who didn’t see a dentist said that they were simply afraid.

Many people think that anxiety and phobia are the same but they have different meanings.

People with dental anxiety will feel uneasy during the time of their dental appointments. They will have exaggerated or unfounded worries in their head. Dental phobia is more serious because it is an intense fear and not simply an anxiety. People with dental phobia are terrified and tend to panic. They have a higher risk of gum disease and early tooth loss. You may also have some emotional costs if you keep avoiding the dentist. If you have discoloured teeth or damaged teeth then you may end up self-conscious and insecure. You will smile less and you may keep your mouth partly closed when you speak. People can be so embarrassed about how their teeth look that their professional and their personal lives suffer. There is a serious loss of self-esteem when your teeth look bad.

People with dental phobia suffer from poorer health in general. Moreover, they even have lower life expectancies. Poor oral health is related to certain life-threatening conditions like heart disease and lung disease.

There are degrees of dental phobia and anxiety. At one extreme, a person who has dental phobia will refuse to see the dentist at all. There are people who force themselves to go to the dentist although are unable to sleep the night before their appointment. There are even people who get sick while they are in the waiting room.

Dental phobia can be treated just like other mental disorders. Without the proper treatment, dental phobia will get worse in time. This is partly because emotional stress makes dental visits even more uncomfortable than they actually are. People who are very tense will have a lower tolerance for pain. They may need more anaesthesia than the average person. They may even develop other stress related problems throughout their bodies. For instance, they may get headaches or muscle stiffness in their neck or on their back.

What causes dental anxiety and dental phobia?

People who develop dental anxieties and phobias do so for several reasons. According to research and interviews from patients, the most common causes are

• pain. In a survey of people who have not seen their dentist for the past year, six percent say that fear is their main reason. It is the most common reason for adults who are twenty four years old and more. It may be due to early dental experiences that happened before the painless era of dentistry
• feelings of helplessness and the loss of control. Several phobias are developed for certain situations like flying in an airplane or riding a boat. People feel that they do not have control. When they sit on the dental chair, they have to stay put and they have no idea about the hurtful feelings that can occur. It is not unusual for people to feel helpless and lose control. It also triggers anxiety
• embarrassment. The mouth is an intimate part of the body and people may feel ashamed or embarrassed when a stranger looks into it. This can be a problem if they are self-conscious and worry about the way their teeth look. Dental treatments also require a certain level of closeness. When you are being treated, the dentist’s face or the hygienist’s face may just be a few inches away. This can make people anxious and uncomfortable
• negative past experiences. Anyone who has experienced pain or discomfort in past dental procedures are more likely to be anxious on their next visit

What are the symptoms of dental anxiety and phobia?

There is no clear boundary that separates normal anxiety from an actual phobia. Everyone has fears and they cope with them in varying ways. You should keep in mind that the prospect of dental work should not fill you with terror although if it does then you should get help overcoming these fears. Some signs of dental phobia are

• tension or trouble sleeping on the night before you visit your dentist
• nervousness when you are waiting at the dentist
• feelings of crying when you go to the dentist
• increase in anxiety when you see dental instruments or white-coated personnel at the dentist’s office
• the thought of dental visits make you physically ill
• you panic or you have trouble breathing when objects are put in your mouth during the dental appointment

If these describe you then you need to tell your dentist about these fears, concerns, and feelings so that they can help you overcome them. They may change the way you are treated or they may even refer you to a mental health professional.