Dental Anxiety: How to Overcome Your Fear of the Dentist

If your dental phobia is under control and you are still able to rationalise with yourself to book and attend appointments, then you don’t need to worry. You can work through this phobia in your own time.

However, if your dental phobia is getting in the way of you seeking treatment, this is a more serious problem. If you have avoided treatment or failed to show up to an appointment due to a dental phobia, it’s time to take steps to overcome your fears.

What causes fear of the dentist?

The cause of the phobia is different for everyone, but these are some common reasons that patients feel nervous about their dental visits and treatment:

• Bad past experience of painful dental treatment

• Fear of judgement due to poor oral health or missing appointments for a long time

• Fear of needles and other dental equipment like drills

• Fear of a loss of control, being unable to speak while the treatment is underway

• Fear of pain or blood

• Bad memories from childhood of uncomfortable dental procedures

• Trauma to the face that results in a fear of dentistry

As you can see, the reasons for your dental phobia are incredibly varied. Thankfully, our team is trained to be able to support you through your fears so you can get your oral health back on track.

How to get over your fear of the dentist

You cannot do this alone, so the first step is to speak to your dentist about your fears. You can book a checkup and ask to use the time to discuss how you can start to work through your dental phobia.

The first thing to remember is that there is no reason to fear the dentist. It really is an irrational fear. Once you learn more about the dental practice and our approach to dentistry, you will see how hard the team works to ensure you don’t experience any discomfort.

It’s easier to overcome your fear of the dentist if you can identify specifically what you are afraid of. For example, if you are afraid of feeling out of control, you can establish hand signals with your dentist so they know if you need a little break.

Another example would be a fear of needles. We’re very good at hiding the needles, distracting the patient and making sure that the experience is as comfortable and pain free as possible.

Another great way to help you through your fear of the dentist is to bring a friend or loved one with you. It’s often much easier to feel confident if you have someone with you to hold your hand.

And finally, you really cannot get past your phobia and you are facing a lengthy procedure that is essential to your oral health, you could consider oral conscious sedation. This is a pill that will help you to relax without putting you to sleep. You will be awake and aware, but you won’t feel the usual panic response.

Ready to overcome your fear?

If you’re ready to say goodbye to dental phobia once and for all, we encourage you to get in touch. We’ll help you to understand your fears so you can start to heal. You will quickly realise that there is nothing to be afraid of, and that a trip to the dentist can be calm and relaxing.