Reversing Dental Anxiety

Feeling fearful or anxious over a dental visit may seem irrational to some people, but it’s a very real source of panic for approximately 15 percent of the population. Dental anxiety and fear can be very harmful to your oral health. If you are one of the millions of people across the globe suffering from apprehension when it comes to dental visits, you need to seek help to address your dentist anxiety. The health of your teeth and gums are at risk without routine dental visits, as is your total health. With greater understanding of dental distress, you may be able to reverse or treat dental anxiety and fears.

Dental anxiety can occur for a number of reasons. Following are four factors that can cause dental fear:

1. Fear of pain. In adults 24 years and older, a survey revealed that six percent of people in this age group avoid the dentist over fear of pain. Subjects had skipped a full year of dental visits to avoid the possibility of discomfort in the dentist’s chair. Researchers speculate that this may be related to traumatic dental experiences prior to current advances in dentistry. These advances now deliver a relatively pain-free dental experience for a majority of patients.
2. Previous negative dental experiences. Previous dental experiences that were a particular source of discomfort—mental or physical—can ignite dental anxiety that transcends the years. Whether it was extensive pain or bad service, it can be tough to overcome such memories.  Professional counseling may be necessary to reverse the dentist anxiety.
3. Feeling out of control. Many phobias are correlated with a person’s belief that they have no control over the situation. When reclined in the dentist’s chair, a light shining in your eyes, mouth agape, and someone standing over you with sharp tools, asking you not to move, well, you may feel a little vulnerable and not in control. Some people get anxious in scenarios like this and skip visits to the dentist to avoid this exact situation. For these individuals, a specialty dentist may be the solution.
4. Being judged. For some, having a stranger poke around in the mouth can feel invasive. Crooked teeth, bad breath, and stains can lead many people to feel embarrassed about a dental visit. This fear leads them to skip visits. However, you should know that your dentist is not judging you, but is there to help you overcome your dental anxiety and keep you in good health.

To get the dental care you deserve from an affordable dentist in Detroit, call Gentle Dental of Michigan today at or make an appointment.