Dental anxiety is so common that you can actually say that it is the norm amongst
patients to visit the dentist. 50% of patients are so nervous that they avoid going to
the dentist all together and will only be forced to attend when they are in severe
pain.
Anxiety can be defined as an excessive fear of going to the dentist.
Fortunately, there are many ways some of which are simple and how one can reduce
it.
One of the easiest ways to reduce dental anxiety is to visit a dentist who you feel
comfortable with and who has an interest in treating nervous patients. Often just
this step is enough to convert a dental phobia into just a very mild anxiety.
If you are a regular attender, it is easier for the dentist to pick up problems early and
therefore treat them earlier as opposed to the problem becoming more advanced
and therefore more advanced treatment is required. It goes without saying but an
early problem picked up can be treated more quickly and more easily than an
advanced problem.
Dentists also have various methods of their disposal in helping anxious dental
patients to relax in order to have treatment carried out easier.
So there are many ways in which you can reduce dental anxiety but each method
needs to be tailor-made to each patient.
Dr Muzzafar Zaman 