In America 7 out of every 10 people fear the dentist, but what causes this fear? We will list the most common reasons why most people fear going to the dentist.
- Fear of pain
One of the biggest (if not the biggest!) problems that we associate with the dentist, or even hearing the word “dentist” is without a doubt; pain. However, this is far from a real perception, since as technology has advanced we now make use of better and less invasive tools that do not cause pain, or hardly any discomfort at all. If you suffer from pain it is, because your dentist is not doing a good job. Sure, there always are some little stings and gentle lip pulls, which are inevitable, but should not be painful. So, if you suffer from uncomfortable pains it means that you are getting your teeth damaged, that is why you should always come to an expert. - Fear of needles
Fear of needles or trypanophobia can be caused by bad experiences from past dental work, which predisposes patients to fear and pain. This is a common psychological issue since modern dentistry now works with much thinner and nearly painless needles and tools. Furthermore, we use alternative methods of anesthesia, mainly based on topical medicine. Good dentists (Our dentists) are also trained with modern methodology on how to assess patients, so they do not develop or suffer fear during a procedure or from the tools that are being used. - Fear of being lied to by your dentist
A common doubt patients have is wondering if a dentist is giving you the correct treatment. For example, in the case of a dental implant the patient might think; is this treatment (piece) really necessary? or does my dentist just want to get more money from the procedure? These are the kind of questions that create justified doubts in patients, since there may be times they have had bad experiences with some dental health practitioners. In order to avoid this problem you need to find a dentist you can trust. This can be achieved by looking at the dentist’s credentials, some dentists even have a web page that you can review testimonies and get recommendations from. It is important to get treatment with honest and professional dentists, since there are unfortunately some that will try to take advantage of a patient.
In addition, if you still in doubt, you can always schedule an appointment to know your potential dentist, a routine cleaning can be a good opportunity to get to know and ask questions about his or her experience. - Fear of your dentist not being good at his job
It is important to acknowledge that there are a lot of different specialties you can have as a dentist. There is also are important differences between a routine cleaning, an implant, a dental crown, or an endodontic treatment; that is why it is important to ask your dentist, what is your field of specialty? Also, even if your dentist practices as a general dentist you can ask him or her something like, what do you think is the field in which you are more specialized? What you will discover is that, if you are going to need a specific treatment or dental work, it is important to search for a professional that has credentials and specializes in that area. That way you will feel confident in the hands of your preferred professional. - Fear of having other untreated conditions.
Generally, people have fear of getting another mouth or dental problem discovered, but this is not an issue at all. If your dentist discovers other issues that may have been unknown to you it could save you big sums of money, since you would be treating a problem before the only possible solutions become very expensive. It could also save your life by you getting the adequate treatment in time.
At Somos Dental we are health care experts and professionals that will only take the best care of your mouth, that is why we will always be available to answer any doubts or questions you may have.
