Dental phobia
Dental phobia is a relatively common condition affecting Northlanders of all ages.
While it might feel distressing, especially any time you are experiencing severe anxiety symptoms, dental phobia is highly manageable with the right treatment and support.
What is dental phobia?
Dental phobia (aka odontophobia or dentophobia) is, to put it simply, a fear of going to the dentist. People feel severe anxiety towards the tools and equipment at a dentist’s office, certain surgeries, the idea of someone being so close, and a variety of other reasons – there are many forms of dental phobia.
When dental phobia is mild, it can be known as dental anxiety. This more moderate condition might cause a person to feel the effects of anxiety (racing heart, nervousness, sweating) but still leave them capable of completing their dentist appointment.
If that fear becomes more irrational or complete, it can become a phobia. In this instance symptoms become more severe and the person is more likely to put off their dentist appointment, perhaps indefinitely. This can lead to a worsening of their oral health, leading to a greater need for surgery, perhaps more invasive surgery, which can, unfortunately, feed what’s known as the ‘vicious cycle of anxiety’.
Symptoms of dental anxiety
Delaying visiting the dentist or never visiting at all
Heart palpitations or racing heartbeat
Sweating
Visible distress, such as crying or trembling
Panic attacks
Racing thoughts
Nausea
Shortness of breath
What causes dental anxiety?
Dental phobia is caused most commonly by previous negative experiences at the dentist. Where someone, either as a child or an adult, has had some kind of trauma while at the dentist or who has spoken to someone who had such a trauma, this can cause at first dental anxiety which, as we mentioned, may spin out into dental phobia.
However there are other potential causes. Trauma or PTSD not related to the dentist can have wide-reaching impacts on a person’s mental health, including dental anxiety. This could be the result of symptoms such as trust issues, fears about loss of control or an invasion of personal space, or a related fear. Other phobias and mental health issues such as agoraphobia or obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) may also cause dental anxiety.
Risks of dental phobia
Dental phobia as a condition cannot harm you. While experiences such as racing heart and even panic attacks may feel distressing at the time, they won’t make your oral health worse and they are highly unlikely to cause physical harm.
That said, when a person puts off visiting the dentist due to anxiety, this may lead to exacerbated oral health conditions. Most problems with teeth and gums are preventable and treatable if caught early. Missing these opportunities could make them more severe over time.
Coping with dental phobia
Like most anxieties and fears, dental phobia can be managed. In many cases and cases of children in particular, it can also often be entirely overcome with the right treatment and techniques.
At home, relaxation techniques such as mindful breathing and meditation have been known to relieve symptoms. Distractions are also commonly used. For more extreme cases, talking to a counsellor about cognitive behavioural therapy may help, as well as taking anti-anxiety medications. A qualified mental health professional can help with all of the above.
In addition, a balanced diet and regular exercise can also play a role in fighting anxiety, as well as maintaining a healthy sleep rhythm.
How we’ll try to help your dental phobia
Here at Kowhai, we’ll also do what we can to help your dental phobia and make you feel at ease in the dentist’s chair.
If you can, coming in to talk to us about your specific fears could help alleviate some symptoms. Talking is a powerful therapeutic technique in general, but it also allows us to find out specifically what you are fearful of, so we can walk you through the different surgeries, tools, or other scenarios that are on your mind.
You may also consider trying to visit us at a quieter time of day to ensure there will be fewer patients about during your time here, or you can bring a support person to help walk you through your treatment. Some people also find listening to music or watching a television screen helps during procedures – we can provide a screen if required.
Got questions
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Dental phobia can be managed and even overcome with a mixture of at-home techniques and consultation with a mental health professional. Cognitive behavioural therapy, psychotherapy (talk therapy) and exposure therapy may be able to equip you with the techniques required to manage your condition and perhaps move past it.
Some professionals may also prescribe anti-anxiety medications. We should note that these are not considered a cure for anxiety, but are often used to help reduce the symptoms to allow room for a person to work on their anti-anxiety techniques and build their resilience.
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Dental phobia is a relatively common anxiety condition in New Zealand, affecting an estimated 13.3% of the adult population (source).
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There are many different causes of anxiety and, as each person experiences it differently, these experiences may make the condition feel better or worse compared to how other people appear to feel.
Unfortunately there’s still a lot we don’t know about how the brain works and therefore some of the science behind anxiety is unknown, but we do know that the techniques discussed here today have been known to help even serious conditions.
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The majority of techniques found on this Help Centre page will work as well for children as they would adults. That said, there are a few additional techniques that may help young children feel more comfortable:
— Having a pretend visit to the dentist so they can see the office and eliminate any fear of the unknown from the equation.
— Positive words of affirmation and gentle encouragement.
— Starting small and simple – leaving the ‘scarier’ dental surgeries until they are more ready for them.
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Dentists do have access to some sedatives and anesthesias, such as general anesthesia, relative anesthesia (i.e. happy gas) and intravenous sedation. However, these are not available to every person depending on their individual medical history and may not be the solution for you.
Of course, if you would like to know more about these options, pop in and talk to us when you can and we’ll talk you through your options.
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This is an option, although other anesthesias are generally preferred before moving up to putting someone to sleep – for example, local anaesthetics, conscious sedation and so on.
If you would like to learn more about our sedation techniques and what might work for you, you can come in and talk to us any time.
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You technically can, yes, and over-the-counter pain medications are generally OK to take before visiting the dentist. That said, we would recommend that you talk to us about it before making the decision as not all medications can interact with each other and it may cause complications during your surgery. If you do decide to take painkillers, let us know when you arrive for your appointment so we can adjust your treatment to suit (if required).
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People experience dental surgery differently depending on their individual needs. That said, root canals do have a reputation for being one of the scarier procedures, as they can take quite some time.
That said, you should know that in modern dentistry, we have a number of techniques to make root canal surgery less painful for patients so that it is no worse than a particularly deep filling.
Learn more about our root canal treatment →
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Some fillings can be performed without a needle or numbing gel, yes. Generally, these would be smaller and shallower fillings, or perhaps a filling that is being inserted into a tooth that has previously had a root canal (as there will be no nerve anymore). We can also often repair damaged fillings without a numbing agent.
For any filling that is more serious than what we’ve just described, anesthetic to at least some degree may be required. If this is a major concern of yours, let us know before your appointment and we can talk to you about your options.