Dental fear, also called dental phobia or dentophobia, keeps many Americans away from the dentist. As a family dentist in Mission, BC, Dr. Amol Shergill offers oral sedation for anxious or phobic patients. If you struggle to attend dental checkups, cleanings, and restorative treatments out of anxiety or fear, your appointment at Wren Street Dental promises a new and refreshing experience.
DID YOU KNOW? According to the Cleveland Clinic, 36% of Americans fear dental treatment, and 12% suffer from extreme fear of dental treatment.
Causes of Dental Anxiety and Phobia
We all have unique histories, genetics, preferences, and concerns. When it comes to fear of the dentist, our dentist in Mission, BC, Dr. Shergill, has found the following causes tend to lead to dental phobia and avoidance of dental treatment.
- Fear of pain
- Fear of seeing blood (hemophobia)
- Past traumatic dental experiences
- Hypersensitivity to the sights, smells, and sounds in a dentist’s office
- Embarrassment over oral health status
- Fear of needles/injections
- Loss of control
- Hypersensitive gag reflex
- Anticipating a negative outcome
Symptoms of Dental Anxiety
Dentophobia is a real condition with physical, as well as mental, symptoms.
The physiological responses to dentophobia can include tense muscles, fast breathing, perspiration, increased heart rate, nausea, and excessive salivation. These symptoms may present upon calling a dentist’s office, making an appointment, going to the dentist’s office, sitting in the waiting room or dental chair, seeing a syringe with a needle, seeing or hearing a dental drill, gagging, or when undergoing treatment.
Psychological symptoms of dentophobia are based in fear but may also include panic, withdrawal, aggression, or using humor to deter feeling anxious.
How to Quell Fears About Dental Treatment
Though it may seem counterintuitive, regular six-month preventive appointments will decrease the potential for needing more invasive treatments. Attending dental cleanings and checkups, in conjunction with diligent, daily dental homecare, decrease the risks of needing restorative or prosthetic dental treatment.
But how can you overcome dental fear and actually go through with dental appointments?
General relaxation and distraction techniques can help you schedule and travel to your dental appointments. Try deep breathing exercises, listen to calming music, and focus on what you know by mentally reciting verses, to-do lists, or mathematical equations.
The most significant help we can offer is through oral sedation.
Oral Sedation at Wren Street Dental
As a sedation dentist in Mission, BC, Dr. Shergill may recommend oral sedation, if you let us know that you suffer from anxiety or dentophobia. Oral sedation involves taking a prescribed sedative in pill form about an hour before dental treatment.
Note that you must avoid alcohol for 24 hours before taking an oral sedative. Pregnant or breastfeeding mothers are not good candidates for oral sedation. Furthermore, you should not eat for 8 hours before oral sedation. You will also need a ride to and from your appointment; you cannot safely drive under the effects of oral sedation.
An oral sedative will make you feel relaxed and even euphoric. Additionally, you’ll be unable to process time, so a long appointment may feel like it takes mere minutes. Pain recognition is also dulled to the point that you’ll feel completely comfortable throughout your procedure. Some patients never remember their treatment once the sedative wears off. However, you’ll be able to respond to the dentist’s instructions throughout the appointment.
In addition to helping dental phobic patients, oral sedation can relax patients who feel uncomfortable sitting in a dental chair, need a lengthy procedure, or have a movement disorder like restless leg syndrome.
Schedule an Appointment with Dr. Shergill, Your Family Dentist in Mission, BC
To learn more about oral sedation or to schedule an appointment with Dr. Shergill, call Wren Street Dental at 640-820-8702 or schedule online. We look forward to helping you receive the dental treatments you need, without fear or anxiety.
