Why are people scared of the dentist?
A large number of patients find the idea of seeing the dentist absolutely terrifying! Being scared of the dentist can be justified by a negative previous experience, possibly in childhood. It may also have no correlation to any previous experiences and simply result from the common belief that dental clinics are scary. Both situations result in patients putting off their needed dental work, which can end up in more pain, more complex treatment, higher overall stress and treatment costs.
How common is dental fear?
Dental fear/phobia/anxiety ranges from mild to severe. Studies come up with various numbers, which always suggest more than 50% or half of the population to have some sort of dental fear. Our collective experience of working in the industry would lean towards around 70% of new patients we see, experience some level of discomfort.
Top 15 reasons why people are scared of the dentist:
- not being numb enough at their previous dental appointment
- previous dental appointment was painful
- previous dentist was not friendly
- previous dentist did not explain what was happening during the appointment
- mouth was sore after the previous dental appointment
- dental cost was much higher than expected
- realisation that teeth are in much worse state than expected
- overwhelmed by the amount of dental treatment needed
- hopelessness about the state of dental health
- embarrassment about the state dental health
- fear of being judged by staff at the dental practice
- lack of control during a previous dental appointment
- overwhelmed by the noise of dental equipment
- feeling vulnerable in the dental chair
- lack of trust for the dentist
There are many more reasons which may not be included here, but hopefully, the above mentioned, may help you to realise that you are not alone in your struggle, and many, many others share the same fears.
What you can do to make your experience easier?
- Take a leap of faith and book in, to JUST MEET one of our dentists, at Corio Central Dental. No treatment needs to happen at the first appointment, if you are not ready.
- Please share your fears and concerns, with the dentist.
- Be clear about what may be a trigger for you and what you find most frightening.
- Allow the dentist to guide you through the process. We promise we have done this before.
- Try your best to NOT cancel your scheduled next appointment. You will feel very proud of yourself if you keep it!
- It may take some time to build trust with a new dentist, be patient with yourself.
What we can do to make your experience easier?
- At Corio Central Dental, we are committed to taking the time to listen to you.
- The first step in helping you to manage dental anxiety is understanding what causes it.
- Once, we work out what some of your worries are, we can offer ideas to reduce the anxiety levels.
- All staff at Corio Central Dental are trained in Dental Anxiety Management and can suggest options that work well for you.
- We get to know you and your specific needs, to help you to feel more at ease wth every appointment.
- Develop a life long patient-dentist relationship, based on trust.
I’M READY TO MEET A FRIENDLY DENTIST – BOOK ME IN NOW
