Dental anxiety
Dental anxiety, also known as dentophobia or odontophobia, is a heightened fear or apprehension related to dental visits that can significantly impact an individual's willingness to seek routine care or treatment for dental issues. While mild discomfort is common, dental anxiety manifests as a debilitating response that can include physical symptoms like increased heart rate, sweating, and nausea, alongside emotional distress such as fear or panic. This anxiety often begins in childhood, frequently stemming from negative experiences or the influence of caregivers who share their own dental fears. As individuals grow, they may develop anxiety despite not having personal traumatic experiences, sometimes linked to an overarching sense of losing control during dental procedures.
Managing dental anxiety can involve various strategies, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which helps individuals gradually face their fears in a controlled manner. Dental practices may implement techniques such as the “tell, show, do” method, ensuring patients are informed and feel in control during treatment. Additionally, relaxation methods like music therapy, breathing exercises, and mindfulness can create a calming environment for anxious patients. For severe cases, medications such as sedatives or nitrous oxide may be used to help manage anxiety during dental procedures. Overall, understanding and addressing dental anxiety is crucial for encouraging individuals to seek necessary dental care and maintain their oral health.
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Dental anxiety
Dental anxiety, sometimes called dentophobia or odontophobia, is a potentially debilitating sensation a person experiences when facing either routine dental care or treatment for a dental condition. While most people have some apprehension or discomfort related to visiting the dentist, dental anxiety is a much stronger negative psychological reaction to a dental appointment. It includes the environment of the dental office, instruments or equipment, and the dental care professionals themselves. People with this condition often avoid visiting the dentist, resulting in dental conditions worsening and requiring more painful or extensive treatment, which only perpetuates the cycle of dental anxiety.
Background
Dental anxiety often begins in childhood with a negative experience at the dentist, and this is especially the case if a child’s first visit to the dentist does not go well. From this traumatic experience, a child may learn that dental care leads to physical discomfort and will continue to make that association. Some dental offices may not be equipped to appropriately address children’s dental needs, a child may not understand what is happening, or dentists may restrain the child to allow for treatment. All these scenarios can lead to dental trauma that can affect a person through adulthood.
Dental anxiety can also come from caregivers who relate unpleasant experiences about visiting the dentist to a child. A child may also be raised with threats of the dentist drilling or pulling their teeth if they do not take care of them. Even though a child may not have had a poor personal experience, this second-hand information instills a fear of dentists and associates the possibility of pain with dentistry. When these situations occur, a child may grow up with a vague anxiety about dentistry and not even be able to pinpoint why they are afraid of the dentist.
Dental anxiety may also arise at any time in a person’s life, not just in childhood. This can be the result of a singular traumatic experience, a series of negative experiences, or an association with other anxiety-related conditions. Some psychologists relate dental anxiety to feelings of loss of control of a situation since the dental patient is placed in a vulnerable position without active control of themselves.
Overview
As with any type of anxiety or phobia, dental anxiety has a variety of signs, including physical, emotional, and behavioral. When even contemplating a visit to the dentist, a person with dental anxiety may notice an increased heart rate, difficulty breathing, sweating, shaking, or nausea. This may be coupled with feelings of fear or even panic. As a result, a person will be nervous, agitated, and uneasy. Sometimes, the feeling of distress will become so extreme that the person will feel like they are choking or suffocating.
Dental anxiety, like other forms of anxiety, can be managed in a variety of ways. Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a popular method for treating many types of phobias, especially in adults, and it involves exposing a person to a perceived threat in an anxiety-inducing situation a little at a time in a controlled environment. Each time the person successfully experiences a situation that could result in anxiety, it builds their confidence and reconditions the brain to not view the situation as a threat.
When a patient visits a dental office, the office staff may have them fill out a survey that indexes their level of anxiety. It may have them rate how they feel on a scale or ask specific questions about past experiences. This not only prepares the dental office staff for the patient’s reaction, but also allows the patient to identify and quantify their anxiety. In some cases, just knowing that the dental office staff is aware of their feelings or past experiences and expressing them can help alleviate anxiety to some degree.
Modeling can also be used to alleviate anxiety of the unknown. This method is especially effective for children or those who lack personal experience at a dental office. This technique involves showing the person what is going to happen in a controlled situation. It may be a simulation and take the form of a story or video about what happens at the dentist’s office. It can also be a family member, friend, or other person acting as a model to show the anxious person what will happen and reporting to them that it was not a reason for anxiety.
Methods that provide the dental patient with some manner of control in a situation are also effective. For example, the “tell, show, do” method is used when the dentist tells the patient what will happen, shows them using a demonstration, and then asks permission to proceed with the treatment. The dentist may also provide the patient with a pre-arranged signal, such as raising a hand, which the patient can use at any time to pause the procedure. Also, if the dental office staff, along with the dentist, encourage good communication and show a caring and empathetic attitude toward the anxious patient, this may make the patient feel as if their anxious feelings are understood and cared about.
In addition, common relaxation techniques used in the treatment of generalized anxiety may also be successful in alleviating dental anxiety. Distraction, music therapy, guided imagery, aromatherapy, breathing exercises, mindfulness, and maintaining a peaceful environment may all contribute to providing a more pleasant experience for the anxious dental patient.
In severe cases, or when potentially painful treatment is necessary, a patient may be given medication to deal with dental anxiety. This may involve premedication prior to an appointment with a sedative drug (such as a benzodiazepine) or conscious sedation (such as a nitrous oxide inhalant). Although not recommended in most cases, general anesthesia, performed in a specialized setting, can be used if necessary to treat a patient who otherwise cannot be treated due to extreme anxiety.
Bibliography
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“Easing Dental Fear in Adults.” WebMD, 31 Oct. 2021, www.webmd.com/oral-health/easing-dental-fear-adults. Accessed 28 Aug 2023.
Fletcher, Jenna. “What to Know about Dental Anxiety.” Medical News Today, 30 June 2022, www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/what-to-know-about-dental-anxiety. Accessed 28 Aug 2023.
Huff, Charlotte. “A Promising Tool for Overcoming Dental Anxiety”. Health Affairs, April 2023, www.healthaffairs.org/doi/10.1377/hlthaff.2022.01626. Accessed 28 Aug 2023.
“Odontophobia (Fear of Teeth or Dental Surgery).” Psych Times, 2023, psychtimes.com/odontophobia-fear-of-teeth-or-dental-surgery/. Accessed 28 Aug 2023.