Top 5 Reasons Why We Avoid Dentists

April 06, 2016, Billings Dental Care

The health and conditions of your mouth and teeth is important to your overall health. Oral hygiene helps keep you from incurring decay, gum disease and bad breath. However, serious health conditions can also be caused by poor dental hygiene. In fact, research studies have shown that poor consideration for your mouth and teeth can lead to conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, pancreatic cancer, and heart disease.

Many people avoid the dentist for various reasons. However, dentists are experts in keeping your teeth and gums healthy. They help diagnose oral diseases, make assessments and provide guidance for treating problems, provide preventative care, and keep you apprised of the best techniques to keep your mouth and teeth healthy. Still though cost, anxiety, fear, busy schedules, and not understanding its importance leads people to dismiss dentist appointments.

The top five reasons why people avoid the dentist are outlined below.

1. Cost

Cost is probably the number one reason people do not go to the dentist. Most dental procedures are fairly expensive. It is quite an investment and often time’s people see it as a waste of money. If someone is fairly comfortable with their oral hygiene they may not want to rely on a dentist, which ultimately may come back to haunt them. It is more expensive to pay for procedures to fix teeth than the preventative care that is provided.

2. Anxiety

Dental anxiety is very real and very common. Many people are simply scared of the dentist for one reason or another. It could be the shots, the sound of the tools used, or a memory from childhood. Either way, anxiety is a very scary emotion that can keep adults from going to the dentist. Overcoming anxiety is a hard thing to do, but in order to protect yourself in the long run, you have to attack your fears head on. You will soon find out that there is nothing to be afraid of. The dentist is actually a very friendly comfortable environment. Most dentist are very communicative and open. The best thing you can do is tell your dentist about your anxiety, I guarantee you are not alone and they will reassure you. They are willing to talk you through the entire process. Dentist in Matthews will ensure their patients anxiety is at bay as soon as they walk into the door.

3. Fear

Fear of needing to get dental work done is also a very common emotion. Fear of being lectured about your bad habits is also something that concerns people at times. They can be very concerned that their dentist will criticize them for not brushing often enough or not flossing. Fear enables us to do the wrong thing or hinders us from doing what we need to do. In this case, dentists only provide constructive criticism. When they tell you that you need to brush more often or floss more, they only want to help you. Their intent is not to insult you. Their only concern is keep your mouth and teeth as health as possible. It is best to not let fear control you.

4. Too Busy

Busy schedules is another common excuse for those that do not go to the dentist on a regular basis. We all have busy schedules, but taking the time to have your twice a year preventative checkup at a dentist will actually reduce the amount of time you may be out of work due to dental procedures. The less you go to the dentist the more likely you will end up having dental problems. Once you start skipping your checkups you will fall out of routine and before you know it, it has been two years since your last visit. The damage you can do to your mouth and teeth during that time is uncanny. Plaque buildup and tarter can lead to gingivitis and other serous conditions.

5. Lack of Importance

Most people do not make the dentist an important part of their lives. They do not put the dentist at the top of their priority list as they do an annual physical or any other doctor’s appointment. However, it just as important and should be viewed as one of the number priorities because of the link between dental hygiene and other diseases. Regular dental exams are important because they also look for lose teeth, cracks in your teeth, your bite, damaged fillings and other issues that you may not necessarily see at home.

All of these reasons keep people from going to the dentist. Do not let one of these be the reasons you avoid the dentist. Stay honest and stay true to yourself. Bi-annual preventative dentist visits are important to your overall health.

Comments