Dental Anxiety
Welcome back to summer folks, isn't it marvelous? Now, I'm writing this during some pretty fantastic late-May weather and hopefully June (when 406 Women hits the streets) can follow suit and valid validate my current enthusiasm. Warm sunshine is like CPR to my powder-withdrawn soul and I have a feeling this summer is going to be one for the books. Join me out there and share your healthy Montana smile with me.
Disclaimer: The following references to dental treatment do not include routine teeth cleanings, because those are spectacular!
As a dentist I know that receiving a dental procedure is no picnic. Some- where in the future I imagine a young man coming to my house to take Nay-vee, my daughter, to the Prom. Let's call him Fred. "Now Fred," I'll say, "I'm a dentist and I'm curious about your approach towards oral health." Fred will respond, "Well geez Mister Miller I love going to the dentist." At which point I tell Fred I'm concerned about his taking my daughter out that evening because based on his statement he is one of two things: a liar or a weirdo.
Now there are those outlying individuals who truly love dentistry and I mean no offense when I say, "that's: little odd." The majority of us, a statistician would label us "the Norm", don't mind dentistry but would just rather not. If the dictionary represented a list of things with a Z. Lastly, we have would like to do Dentistry would start individuals with a real fear of anything relating to dentistry. I cannot call these folks outliers because they represent a statistically significant portion of the population. I invite everyone to continue reading, but the remainder of this article is aimed at this latter group.
A hot topic on a national level currently in dentistry is the topic of Access to Care. In other words, we are engaged in the exploration of treatment barriers that are preventing people from receiv- ing the care they need. One of these recognized barriers is Dental Anxiety/ Fear affecting an estimated 10 to 20% of the population. I really want the reader to think about what I'm going to say next: "It will never hurt or cost less that it does right now, and it will never be easier for your Dentist to fix than it is right now."
What causes Dental Anxiety?
Fear of pain. To keep things brief, I'll just say that unpleasant dental visits are the main contributing factor for this of dental anxiety. The actual patient can make these visits themselves, or it is also very common for a young patient to have dental fear because of experiences shared with them by a relative or friend. Because of this we encourage all parents to never mention. the word S-H-O-T or N-E-E-D-L- E, and to never convey to their child that visiting the dentist is negative in any way. A bad dental experience can echo through generations. A grand- parent's unpleasant dental visit in the 1940's can be the cause of young Bella's dental fear 2014. Dentistry, like any other industry, has come a long way. Thanks to the many advances in dentistry made over the years, all of today's dental procedures should be pain-free.
Another common cause of dental anxiety is the feeling of helplessness and loss of control during a dental procedure. It's common for people to feel these emotions considering the situation, sitting in a dental chair with your mouth wide open, unable see what's going on. If you suffer from this of anxiety you need to actively part of participate in a discussion with their dentist about your treatment. Ask your dentist to explain what's happening at every stage of the procedure. This way you can mentally prepare for what's to come. Another helpful strategy is to establish a signal, such as raising your hand when you want the dentist to pause treatment. Using this signal whenever you are uncomfortable, need to rinse your mouth, or simply need to catch your breath can restore that sense of control needed to ease your dental concerns.
What Are the Options? Ultimately, the first step to coping with dental anxiety is to discuss your fears with your dentist. Once your dentist knows what your fears are, he or she will be better able to work with you to determine the best ways to make you less anxious and more comfortable. If your dentist doesn't take your fears seriously, it's time to find another dentist.
Upon discussing your concerns with your dentist, he or she might consider a therapeutic pharmaceutical to lessen your resistance to treatment. Most of us are well aware of the use of Nitrous Oxide, or laughing gas, in dentistry. This works great for young patients, or those adults with mild to moderate anxiety. A more contemporary approach to treating patients with mild to moderate anxiety is the use of anti-anxiety medications such as benzodiazepines taken orally prior to treatment. These medications require more advanced monitoring of the patient but are considered very safe when the appropriate steps are taken.
For patients with severe dental anxiety, deep IV sedation and general anesthesia are available. This has been a common practice in the removal of wisdom teeth for years, but its use is becoming more and more common during more routine or lengthy dental procedures. Imagine sleeping through your dental procedures. As I mentioned earlier, all of these options can be discussed in more detail with your Dentist.
Conclusion:
As any returning reader knows, I'm obsessed with healthy Montana smiles. Especially the smiles of children. My mission in life is to brighten our lives here in M'T by creating more healthy smiles. I'm trying to create a future of "Weirdos" who love going to their dentist. This can be accomplished by having great dental experiences as children. Parents, I'll need your help at home and I thank you. Please have a great Montana Summer!
Read Dental Anxiety and other Smile Montana articles by Dr. John F. Miller, DDS, in 406 Woman magazines.