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DENTAL
FAQ's Dental Fear
Most people
manifest some degree of fear and anxiety when confronted with a dental
experience, yet feel that in this regard they are somehow unique. Below
are reproduced a few interchanges dealing with this subject, in the hope
that knowing that this is both a common and manageable problem will assist
those that are so affected.
A: We think
that in light of your generally high levels of anxiety, that you are a
perfect candidate for general anesthesia. Although sleep and general
anesthesia are qualitatively different, the depression of higher brain
functions are not all that dissimilar. We may be wrong, but you probably
don't have such fears of not awakening when you go to sleep at night.
Consciousness returns by stopping the administration of the anesthetic
agent or by administering a narcotic antagonist drug. If you are of normal
health (this will be addressed when the doctor takes your medical
history), the anesthetic medications will be normally cleared from your
body in a short time. Because drowsiness does persist some time after the
procedure, it will be necessary for you to be accompanied by a responsible
adult when you go for the procedure. If you are still fearful of general
anesthesia after discussing this with your dentist, you may want to
consider intravenous sedation as an alternative; in this case, you are
never rendered fully unconscious. If you experience severe preoperative
anxiety, you may also want to request a tranquilizer from your dentist. The amount of
postoperative pain will depend on the specifics of the procedure; this is
a topic more appropriate to ask of your dentist. In any case, analgesic
medication and proper care will minimize your difficulties. As far as the
ulcer... it is likely that it is the result of injury from the wisdom
tooth, and will resolve after the extractions, but we cannot answer with
certainty. Again, this is a question for your dentist. ...And about
your dentist... why are you not asking him these questions? Part of his
job is communication. Your questions are perfectly legitimate, and he
should be accessible for them and any others you may have in the future. Q: Help!
Please give me some reassurances if you can: I need to go to the dentist,
I know that. I have visible cavities in several of my teeth that I know
need serious help. I have not been to the dentist in at least three years.
Here is the reason: I hate needles, I hate people leaning over me, I hate
the fact that my mouth is so small that my jaws hurt after every dentist
visit from stretching too wide, I hate people treating me like I'm stupid,
I hate the fact that I am so sensitive to pain that I need three or four
shots every time, and I hate the fact that I have bad reactions every time
to the pain medications! Last time I went, they gave me Lortab - I spent
six months on anti-ulcer medications to counteract what that did to my
stomach! Before that, I tried Ultram, I'm not sure which did worse to my
stomach! And neither really helped the pain! The only time I actually did
well with a dentistry procedure was when I got my wisdom teeth out and
they did that under general anesthetic! Help! I don't want to end up with
false teeth, but I get upset even thinking about enduring another trip to
a dentist! A: You are
not the only one who hates needles, holding your mouth open for long
periods of time, who needs multiple anesthetic administration, and who
hates situations in which self-control is relinquished to an extent. What
distinguishes you and those like you is that through accumulated past
experience and/or your personal temperament, you have developed an
aversion sufficiently strong to deter you from treatment you know is
necessary. As dentists,
we are unqualified to diagnose or treat phobic behavior. However, unless
you are very lucky, you will need to face down demons far worse than these
in the course of your life. We will not
sugarcoat dentistry for you, but it is fair to say that objectively, you
will perceive it to be far worse than it is due to your heavy
psychological overlay. A caring, compassionate dentist will arrange for
sufficient time for your appointments, allowing adequate time for
sufficient anesthesia, mouth rinsing, resting, whatever you need within
reason to get the job done. If this is still not possible, there are
dentists who will render treatment under general anesthesia or sedation.
There are always options. If you cannot
bring yourself to make that appointment, there is always psychological
counseling. Dental phobia is a common affliction. This is partially due to
the nature of the treatment itself, and (unfortunately) partially due to
the demeanor of some of its practitioners. In any case, you are certainly
in good company. Q: Hello
dentists. Out of all the people you see all day long, would you say about
half of them are pretty fearful of being there? or what percentage?? Are
children better than adults in this area or worse?? A:
Psychologists use quantitative psychometric testing to measure things like
fear, perceived pain, etc. As dentists, we are unqualified to answer your
question in a meaningful way, other than to give you our subjective
impression. We would say
that roughly half the patients we see during the day show some signs of
anxiety while sitting in the dental chair. The percentage is about the
same for children. This, of course, does not include the unknown number of
people whose fear is sufficiently strong to prevent them from coming to
our office. We would also
say that depending on the patient, the dentist is also fearful;-) For all
involved in the dental setting-- patient, dentist, and staff included-- it
may be useful to apply Plato's timeless dictum: "Be kind, for
everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." There is no more
appropriate course of action when encountering anxiety and fear than for
all to use a little empathy and compassion.
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