Overcoming Dental Phobia

Dental phobia is a legitimate psychological disorder that can vary widely in severity. Those with the most extreme cases can only undergo dental care if they undergo a course of psychotherapy. However, dentists are not being trained to help patients overcome their phobia. The most critical approach is primarily building a strong relationship of trust between the physician and the patient. In addition to building relationships, UCLA psychologists and dentists claim patients can overcome dental phobia with coping skills and treatment.

Ronald Mito, dentist and professor of clinical dentistry has experience treating patients who suffer from dental fear and anxiety. He claimed that patients could be helped by having them rank aspects of a dental visit, creating a dental fear hierarchy. He then would gradually expose patients to increasingly fearful situations to help them cope with their fear.

Psychiatrists can also alleviate patients’ fears. For example, if a person has a morbid fear of receiving injections, the therapist can allow him to see and handle large needles. Patients can also be trained to maintain a positive inner dialogue or to practice deep, slow breathing exercises.

Dental fear can be broken up into two categories of severity: dental anxiety, dental fear, and dental phobia. Dental anxiety is reacting to an unknown danger. As many as 75% of Americans suffer from some form dental anxiety connected with a visit to the dentist. The cause is undergoing a dental procedure that has never been experienced before. Dental fear is reacting to a known danger such as a procedure that has been previously experienced or an unpleasant experience with an uncaring or unprofessional dentist.

The last category, dental phobia is an extreme version of dental fear. People with dental fear will experience their fear as they approach a dental office or treatment room. Dental phobia can cause people to experience a “fight-or-flight” physical response to the mere mention of a dental procedure.

Though the most extreme cases of dental phobia will require special treatment since many cannot bring themselves to even approach a dental clinic, there are alternative options. IV sedation dentistry or sleep dentistry is a real solution for people who do not wish to experience any pain or remember any part of their dental visit.

Some patients are content with being in a deeply relaxed state. Others with greater fears only wish to sleep through an entire dental procedure and remember nothing. IV sedation dentistry is especially appropriate for those people who have long neglected their teeth and need one or two marathon sessions of dental work to be done.