June 09, 2022
Just thinking about dental procedures is enough to make most people cringe. Even though we realize how important oral health is, people are still quite hesitant to get dental procedures done on themselves. Some dental treatments are completely pain-free and don’t even take that long, but most patients still face some degree of dental anxiety. Here are some of the main culprits for this stress.
Pain
The mouth is a very sensitive part of the body and everything from your tongue to your gums to the roof of the mouth has a lot of nerve endings which makes it easy to detect even minor sensations. Even in procedures such as deep cleaning which are not that uncomfortable, people can be very apprehensive. In some cases, the procedure really is painful and this can be a nightmare for someone who really fears dental procedures. Physical pain is the most common fear associated with dental procedures that people harbor.
Dental History
Dentistry has evolved a lot in the past few decades. In fact, a lot of procedures that used to be quite time-consuming, risky, and uncomfortable just a few years ago, are very different today. People who have experienced old methods of treatment as a child are still cautious when getting orthodontic treatment as an adult because they still have the old experience in mind. This is something that can be addressed through counseling the patient, but they are sometimes still stressed when they go for the procedure. Moreover, some people might have dental complications which makes it a bit more uncomfortable for them to have dental procedures done. Others have had a poor experience in the past and it has tainted the perception they have of dentists.
Media
Dental practices are not marketed in the most inviting manner in the media. Generally, we are shown that dental procedures hurt, people are tortured by having their teeth pulled out and the very sight of a dental procedure taking place is made to look less attractive. Dentists and dentistry are generally shown in a negative light and this is something that dentists continue to protest against. However, since it has been happening for so long, it is difficult to change the perception of the general population. Generally, it is only once a person goes through a dental procedure that they realize it wasn’t as bad as they had thought it would be.
Equipment
The equipment that dentists use can be quite scary to look at. Any kind of surgical equipment is rather daunting to look at especially when you consider how it will be used. Particularly, things like injections, blades, saws, and other intrusive instruments can be quite the turn-off. When professionals actually use them, you might feel nothing at all, however, just the sight of these tools tends to scare people.
In the past, medical procedures of all kinds were quite unrefined and patients did suffer a lot. Even if they couldn’t feel it because of anesthesia, recovering from the procedure was challenging, it took a lot of time and it wasn’t always that effective. Today, things are very different, and things continue to improve yet, this being reflective of advances in medical research. The latest procedures are extremely safe, effective, and easy on the patient's mind and body.