What Is Dental Anxiety?

The term dental anxiety is used for referring
to the fear, stress and anxiety associated with dental treatments and to the
circumstances surrounding dental treatments, often including not only the
procedure, the smells, sounds and tools associated with the intervention, but
also to the time spent in the dentist’s waiting room or even calling to make
the dental appointment. The problem usually has its roots in a traumatic
experience in the past – a rude dentist, a painful or scary intervention are
among the most common causes. There is help though with the dental techniques of
Sedation dentistry
.
Such fears and anxiety are very often the reason why people neglect their visits to the dentist, so dental anxiety is among the most common indirect causes of dental issues. The person affected by the anxiety avoids dental appointments and tends to neglect the early signs of dental problems. While small dental issues, such as cavities are easy to detect in their early phases and the treatment is usually quick and almost completely painless, dental cavities and other similar problems tend to aggravate quickly, making the issue more complicated and more expensive to treat.
Overcoming dental anxiety is not easy, the best way being to find an understanding, compassionate dentist who is willing to help the patient conquer that fear by allowing the patient to sit into the chair without getting a treatment during the first few appointments and moving on to treating teeth gradually.









