Why Do Some People Hate Going To The Dentist?

A look at some of the most common reasons for dental anxiety

Anxiety about a forthcoming dental visit is one of the main reasons for cancellations and even ‘no shows’. Thankfully, these are relatively small in number but even then are frustrating for both dentists and those who genuinely need assistance and could have taken the appointment if we had been informed in time. Most of all though, missed and cancelled appointments are likely to have a long term effect on the patient who made the cancellation or didn’t turn up.

Our Canterbury based team understands that dental anxiety is very real and that some patients experience a rise in stress levels when they come to see us. Thankfully, we have many years of experience of treating nervous patients and most find that they manage well once they arrive at our comfortable and relaxing dental clinic.

What then is it that causes this high level of anxiety amongst certain people? We take a look at some of the main reason in today’s Bradley and Partners Dental & Implant Clinic Blog post.

The build up

There is a well known book called ‘Feel the fear and do it anyway’. It is popular for one particular reason and that is that it addresses the key factor in anxiety. The fact is that we are still genetically predisposed to run away from dangerous situations. Sometimes these are genuine such as if there is a threat of violence, but equally, many of the situations are imagined. Dentistry is an interesting case in point. On the one hand, if we are due to receive treatment, we know that it will involve a certain degree of intervention, even for a straightforward filling. Our ‘flight or fight’ response then kicks in and some of us may cancel or not turn up.

For most people, this anxiety is overcome by the knowledge that the treatment will not be too uncomfortable as local anaesthetics will be used and we also know that leaving a problem like this will result in more extensive treatment later on. If you are ever tempted to cancel your appointment or not turn up for it, please give us a call and we will do our best to help you receive the treatment that you need whether this is a routine tooth filling or something more complex.

Sounds and smells

Partly because we acknowledge anxiety and partly because having a nice place to work in and for our patients to receive treatment is important to us, we have taken a lot of care to make your Canterbury dental practice as pleasant a place as we can for your visit. The fact remains though that it is a dental practice with all the sights, sounds and smells that people associate with them. This can be unnerving for nervous patients, especially when they are waiting for their treatment and hear the whirring sound of a drill from a treatment room.

Whilst we do our best to mask things like this, and also provide some distractions for our patients as they wait for their appointment, if you are particularly sensitive to this sort of thing, please feel free to bring your MP3 player (with headphones of course) to distract you and help you relax a little more before your treatment. Similarly, there are certain smells that can’t be hidden altogether. Some patients have mentioned that they use aromatherapy oil on their wrists that they can smell which not only masks the smells but helps to relax them too.

The drill

Perhaps the biggest ‘trigger’ for dental anxiety is the drill. Just the sound of it can cause some people’s pulse to start racing and to start to perspire. The closer it gets to the facial area as the treatment commences, the greater the anxiety effect.

Whilst drills are quieter than they used to be, it is inevitable that some sound will be made. The high pitch whining sound of a drill is due to the high speeds at which it rotates. This can vary according to the nature of the treatment, but speeds of 250,000 rpm are not uncommon. As you would expect, this produces the high pitch sound that you hear. Although this might sound unpleasant to some ears, it is in reality, good news. The high speed of a drill means that it is more efficient and enables the dentist to carry out the treatment not only effectively, but as speedily as is safely possible. Whether you are a nervous patient or not, most patients prefer to be in the treatment chair for the least time possible.

Whatever the trigger is for your own fear of the dentist, please remember that you are not alone and that the vast majority of people who feel this way do manage to receive their oral care. Visiting a dentist may not be the most fun thing to do but most appointments last for a short time only and, most importantly, means that you have a much better chance of having a healthier mouth that will help you to avoid painful problems like toothache and abscesses.

We will do all that we can to help nervous patients and if you find yourself considering backing out of an appointment, or if you need one due to a problem but are afraid, please do call us so that we can try to help you. You can call Bradley and Partners Dental & Implant Clinic to speak to one of our friendly team members on 01227 463529.