Fear of the Dentist

Fear of the dentist is a very common problem. It is not unusual for one to be somewhat apprehensive before one’s dental appointment, however, a higher level of anxiety can be a result of a real dental phobia. Dental phobia can cause a person to avoid dental treatment. Many dental phobias start with a bad experience at the dentist, especially as a child. In our office, we never do any potentially painful treatment without first numbing the area. Since we are a sedation practice, we see a high number of dental phobic patients. The common source of their dental fears came from an experience where their dentist kept drilling on their tooth even though the individual indicated that it hurt. Another common problem comes from the patient delaying treatment until they are in extreme pain. Not only is it extremely difficult to get someone numb in that situation, but also even if you can get the tooth numb, just the experience alone can be enough to cause the patient to avoid further dental treatment.