I'm afraid to go and have my teeth treated. What should I do? How not to be afraid of the dentist: my story of applying new knowledge in psychology

Dentophobia, or, as it is also called, dental phobia or odontophobia, is a panicky, insurmountable fear of the dentist. How can a phobia be distinguished from ordinary fear? It's one thing to be nervous before going to the doctor, and quite another to panic even at the thought of dental treatment. Putting off going to the dentist until the last moment, even despite acute toothache, can also be a sign of dental phobia. Already in the dental chair, a person suffering from a similar illness is unable to contact the doctor due to panic fear, and any actions of the dentist cause his blood pressure to rise and his heart rate to increase. Moreover, such an atypical patient can easily lose consciousness.

But in no case can you fight dental phobia by refusing to visit the dentist. If you do not visit a doctor in time, caries turns into pulpitis, the gums become inflamed to the point of periodontitis, and severely damaged teeth can only be removed. Lack of due and timely treatment has a destructive effect on the health of the entire body as a whole: infection in the oral cavity leads to the development of diseases digestive tract, inflammation endocrine glands, rheumatism, bronchial asthma and other ailments - after all, everything in our body is interconnected. Therefore, it is necessary and possible to fight dental phobia. Read on to find out how to do this.

Why are we afraid to treat our teeth?

Understanding the cause and mechanism of dentaphobia will be the first step towards solving the problem. For example, negative experience visiting a dentist in the past can instill fear of all representatives of this profession for a long time. Many people remember the massive compulsory treatment in schools, old drills, and the word “be patient” instead of pain relief - and even frozen teeth were painful to treat. The thing is that previously local anesthesia in dentistry involved the use of novocaine and lidocaine, which begin to act 15 minutes after the injection, and the dentist, as prescribed, had to spend no more than this time on one patient. Thus, the dark past of Soviet dentistry has given rise to many people suffering from a panicky fear of the drill.

Another reason that also leads to phobia is the reluctance to demonstrate the neglected condition of one’s teeth. As a rule, this problem is provoked or intensified by some doctors who begin to literally reprimand the patient, describing in vivid colors all the shortcomings of his smile. Evidence of such behavior by doctors is often found in reviews of clinics written by visitors to our portal. If you find yourself in a similar situation, the best way out of it would be to change your dentist. Good doctor would rather suggest ways to solve the problem and advise the necessary care than waste time on emotional condemnation of the patient. Of course, in addition to the two causes of dental phobia described above, there may be others, for example, unstable mental condition, low pain threshold and much more. How to decide similar problems, read further.

How to overcome your fear of the dentist

For a patient with the problem of dental phobia, dentists can offer dental treatment under anesthesia, as well as under sedation, with the help of which the person completely calms down and enters a state of light, superficial sleep and after the procedure, as a rule, does not remember anything. Often, after using sedation in dentistry, the patient understands that nothing bad is happening to him and in subsequent visits he is calmly treated under local anesthesia. But dental treatment under anesthesia as a remedy against panic fear is not always advisable and can even significantly aggravate the problem of dental phobia.

Some dentists approach the problem creatively: they turn on music or offer the patient to wear multimedia video glasses, turning a trip to the doctor into a pleasant pastime, an opportunity to rest and relax. For those who cannot stand the sound of drilling, silent methods of dental treatment come to the rescue, where a laser is used instead of a drill. It is important that dental treatment is carried out without pain or any discomfort But all this is effective at the stage when the main problem with child phobia has already been solved and only the usual fear of dental treatment remains.

• It is necessary to treat your teeth! The principle of postponing problems “for later” will take away more time, nerves and costs.
• Make an appointment with a psychologist! The root of the problem may be deeper than you think, and a specialist will help you figure out what's what.
• Remember, you always have a choice! Learn information about pain relief methods used in dentistry, as well as modern techniques dental treatment without a drill. Using your knowledge, choose the clinic that keeps up with the times.
• Find a contact with a doctor! You need a highly qualified specialist who will understand your problem and be ready to help you solve it. Try to visit the same specialist.
• Eliminate the slightest reason for stress! Before treatment, find out what will be done for you, how, and how much it will cost.
• A pleasant atmosphere is important! Choose a clinic with a pleasant, beautiful environment without strong smell medicines, friendly staff and no queues or crying children.

Remember that for children and adults the most effective means The remedy for fear and its complications in the form of dental phobia is regular visits to the dentist. In the "Search" section on our website you will definitely find a good adult and

Do you feel anxious when visiting the dentist? These tips will help you treat your teeth without fear.

Many people in our country are familiar with dental phobia, even if they have no idea that they have it. panic fear before dentists, this is a disease.

Causes of dental phobia and methods of combating it

The reason for this disease lies in the fact that many patients remember very well how painful all kinds of dental procedures were in the complete absence of anesthesia. And sometimes even if the patient had such a luxury as an injection of an anesthetic, it simply did not have time to act or acted very poorly. To the collection of the same memories one can add the intolerant, sometimes openly rude and hostile attitude of doctors, huge offices in which five or six or even more patients were treated at the same time - and here it is, dental phobia in all its glory.

But, fortunately, all this is finally becoming history. Nowadays, dental clinics offer patients a number of ways to get rid of pain and fear of treatment. These methods can be divided into two categories:

— means that fight pain - these are various types of local and topical anesthesia, sedation, anesthesia;

— modern methods treatments - such as silent tooth preparation with a laser, unique antibacterial anti-caries coatings, etc.

All this makes it possible to alleviate the patient’s plight, not to mention the fact that in modern dentistry doctors are polite and patient, and they pay as much attention to eradicating fear of treatment as to the treatment itself.

Illness or just anxiety - what's the difference?

How to distinguish dental phobia from ordinary and understandable anxiety before visiting the dentist? Listen to yourself: if you tremble, but still go to the doctor, and at the appointment you are able to adequately communicate with him and fulfill his requests, then you are simply consumed by anxiety. Anxiety states You can overcome it if you choose a friendly and patient specialist who works in a clinic equipped with modern equipment and knows modern treatment methods.

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But if so, then what are the symptoms of real dental phobia? The list of them is quite extensive:

- during the appointment or even while waiting for the appointment, you feel a strong and sharp increase in blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, and you experience shortness of breath;

- you do not hear or do not perceive what the doctor is saying, you are trying to break free, jump out of the office, move his hands away, push the doctor himself away;

- you may faint in the office;

- you prefer to treat the most acute toothache with painkillers and sedatives, and in extreme cases with alcohol, just to avoid going to the doctor.

All this indicates the development of dental phobia. If neither polite doctors, nor modern methods of sedation, nor even anesthesia help you overcome your fear, then it is best to consult a specialist - a psychotherapist. The mechanism of the emergence and development of various phobias has now been studied so well that a psychotherapist will almost always be able to select a treatment.

For example, one very effective method is cognitive behavioral therapy. It allows you to change your behavior pattern in a frightening situation and change your attitude towards it to a neutral or even positive one.

Why is it so important to overcome fear?

Of course, you can always give up, forget about dentists and leave everything as it is. However, think about it - the longer you delay treatment, the more difficult it will be for the doctor to solve the problem when you do have to go to the appointment. The treatment itself will take much longer and will take a lot of money and nerves. Moreover, advanced diseases oral cavity lead to serious complications that can affect the gastrointestinal tract, as well as cause inflammation of the glands internal secretion, rheumatism, bronchial asthma etc.

It is for this reason that the most the best remedy Against dental phobia are regular preventive visits to the dentist. There are two reasons - one medical, the other psychological.

When the dentist discovers a problem early stage, then the treatment will pass much faster and more painless. Besides, professional hygiene which can be performed by a doctor, significantly reduces the risk of developing caries and other oral diseases.

What about psychological reasons, then the point is this. If the dentist examined you and said that your teeth are in in perfect order, then this in itself reduces the fear of visiting a doctor. And this, in turn, leads to the fact that everyone next appointment It will become easier and easier at the dentist.

Of course, in order to find yourself in the dental chair as little as possible, it is important to take care of your teeth and gums and maintain oral hygiene. But if you still have to see a doctor, then try following these four simple tips.

1. Get rid of the frightening unknown: find out in advance what exactly the doctor will treat, what manipulations and treatment methods will be used, how long it will last and what the cost of all procedures will be.

2. Dental treatment under sedation is one of the methods of modern dentistry that allows you to cope with the patient’s psychological discomfort. He is immersed in a superficial sleep, in which he can interact with the doctor, but all emotions are practically smoothed out, and therefore the patient does not experience fear.

3. Choose the same permanent dentist. It is important to choose not only a highly qualified specialist, but he must inspire your trust and sympathy. In this case, the fear will most likely recede.

4. Search for modern dentistry, where treatment methods are used without a drill and there is a wide selection of pain relief techniques. In addition, a pleasant environment, the absence of queues and nervous patients, polite and helpful staff - all this will help you overcome your fear.

Julia Klouda, head of an online magazine about dentistry

How not to be afraid of the dentist and overcome fear of dental treatment? This question worries every tenth person on earth. Almost all people are afraid of visiting this doctor. Some are stronger, others less, but both adults and children cannot always overcome their fear.

We will talk about why and when such experiences arise, what intensity they can be and, most importantly, how to cope with them, advice from a psychologist and the dentist’s actions in this direction.

What is dentophobia?

Fear comes in different forms. For some people it is moderate and a person by himself with rational arguments is able to overcome it, calm it down and control it. Others reach the point of real panic attacks in their feelings and even faint at the mere thought of going to the doctor.

Scientists call this fear differently - dentophobia, odontophobia or dental phobia. All this different names the same phenomenon, when a person for some reason is terribly afraid of the dentist and any of his manipulations.

A psychologist, a doctor himself, or a patient can help overcome fear by convincing himself of the necessity and rationality of treatment. First you need to understand the type and intensity of fear, as well as exactly what expected manipulations it relates to.

Its types

Scientists have studied in some detail the fear of doctors, and dentists in particular. And they came to the conclusion that three types of such fear can be distinguished:

• Congenital - can apply not only to a dental specialist, but to all doctors at the same time, as well as to the type of blood, etc. This phobia is quite rare and is often associated with pathologies during pregnancy, hypersensitivity and metabolic disorders.
• Acquired is the most common type of fear, and here one can clearly trace the patient’s unsuccessful experience during a previous visit to the dental clinic.
• Imaginary - it’s easier to get rid of it when correct actions doctor Can occur at any age and is usually associated with complete absence personal experience of communicating with dentists, or even any other doctors. But in this case, there is a very strong fear inspired by the stories of surrounding people about their difficulties in dental treatment.

If we talk about the last version of fear, it can manifest itself with the following signs:

1. Panic anxiety.
2. Muscle tension.
3. Refusal to even communicate and consult a doctor of the required profile.
4. Uncontrollability of actions.
5. Severe headaches.
6. Disturbances in the functioning of the heart and blood circulation, possible attacks of arrhythmia, tachycardia, increased blood pressure, etc.
7. Various problems gastrointestinal tract– frustration, vomiting, colic for no particular reason.
8. Unreasonable dilation of the pupils.
9. In some cases, the person may even lose consciousness or become faint.
10. Feelings of helplessness and powerlessness.
11. Increased sweating.

And the list goes on. After all, psychological panic attack can affect human health in a variety of ways. And if previously no one would undertake to treat such patients, today doctors try to help everyone, even when the person himself refuses dental intervention due to a feeling of fear.

Causes of the disease

If you feel the first signs of such a fear, then try not to allow it to escalate, because having brought the body to a real phobia, it will be much more difficult to get rid of it. The tooth itself will not stop hurting and sooner or later you will have to go to the doctor. And the sooner you do this, the easier the whole procedure will be.

To help yourself figure out where this fear comes from and how to get rid of it, you need to clearly determine why it arose. There may be the following common explanations for this:

• Previous negative experience with dental treatment. Perhaps the doctor was incompetent and performed sloppy actions, or even used outdated instruments or forgot about such a detail as pain relief. Next time after a difficult and scary procedure the person will not want to repeat it again.
• Fear that the dentist will blame the patient for neglected teeth, neglect of his health and reproach him in every possible way. For some, reprimand can be more scary and humiliating than the treatment itself.
• If, during pregnancy and birth of a child, disturbances in the production of hormones such as serotonin and norepinephrine are discovered, then throughout his life he will be too anxious about any unusual manipulations that cause pain or discomfort.
• Low pain threshold, increased sensitivity or pathology mental nature also influence the presence of such fear.
• Numerous stories from relatives, friends, neighbors, stories in the news since childhood form an insurmountable fear of the dental chair in the child.
• The unknown of what the doctor will do, how it will affect dental health, unclear names and new technologies can make a person wary. It’s much easier when you understand what will happen and what the consequences will be.
• There are also times when fear is just aesthetic problem. For example, a woman is embarrassed to visit a male doctor and sit in front of him with almost no makeup and in an awkward pose with open mouth. In this case, the phobia will not be caused by the manipulations themselves and can be treated quite simply - just find a female dentist and establish friendly contact with her.
• In case of fears of pregnant women who have to have their teeth treated during this delicate period, there may be a fear that any procedures, and especially medications and anesthesia, will harm the baby. In fact, today's medicine is able to offer patients medications that are quite safe in this regard, which can also be used during pregnancy. It is much more dangerous to develop dental diseases and ignore them. After all, the infection can quickly spread throughout the body and harm the unborn baby.

How to stop being afraid of the dentist?

What to do if you are afraid to go to the dentist? Doctors offer many ways to overcome fear. One of them is to understand the problem itself. Decide what exactly and how much you are afraid in this regard. For example, you can compose next list, where the main dental procedures are listed, and opposite each of them there is a number from 1 to 4, indicating the level of fear.

At the same time, 1 – “not at all afraid”, 2 – “moderate”, 3 – “very afraid to treat my teeth” and 4 – “insanely scary”.

Before you start dealing with your problem, you should calm down and write down in detail all the fears that concern you in this matter. Assess quite clearly how scary each procedure is.

Think in detail about the options for fear, their origin, reason and logic. After all, perhaps you yourself will understand that there is nothing wrong with this or that you still need to endure a little doctor’s intervention, but not allow a more serious problem to occur.

Psychologists give the following advice to those patients who are in the process of struggling with their fear:

• Think about it, the longer you ignore dental problem, especially serious consequences you can wait. Treatment cannot be avoided one way or another, but it is within your power to do it on time and with the least discomfort.
• If you cannot calm your fear on your own, you can seek help from a psychologist who will select the appropriate method for you and help you overcome the phobia.
• Know that today the equipment in dental clinics is quite effective, and doctors have many different medications and painkillers. Now the procedure becomes less unpleasant and scary than it once was. It is important to choose a clinic and an experienced doctor who will be as careful as possible. Read patient reviews and choose the best one.
• Before seeking immediate dental treatment, you can simply come for a consultation with a dentist. Talk to him about your problem, about your fear, ask how the procedure will take place and what manipulations the doctor will perform. By establishing personal communication, you can cope with for the most part fear.
• Today there is a fairly large selection of dental clinics, private and public, where you can feel right from the door how patients are treated here. If you feel goodwill, see the smiles of the staff, feel a pleasant atmosphere, then you can tune in to a safe mood.

Alternative Treatments

In the most extreme case, when all the advice does not help and there is no strength to control your fear, you can resort to the extreme option of dealing with a phobia -. This special procedure which is carried out with the aim of maximizing the calm of a person before scary manipulations.

At the same time, the patient is immersed in a shallow sleep, similar to full anesthesia, but a slightly different state. As a result, the person feels virtually no pain and, even after the medication wears off, may forget about what happened in the doctor’s office.

In addition to the efforts of the patient himself, the actions of the dentist are also important, which should be aimed at establishing contact even with the most difficult and sensitive people:

• Playing soft music or soothing sounds of nature will create a relaxing and pleasant atmosphere in the office.
• The presence of a screen or video glasses will distract the patient from terrible thoughts with the help of a film, cartoon or some exciting footage.
• A calm heart-to-heart conversation, showing personal interest in a person has a calming effect.
• When communicating, avoid criticism and moralizing, this will only strain and intensify unpleasant feelings an already frightened patient.
• Have sedatives on hand general action or anesthesia for the most difficult cases.

How to help a child?

Issues of fear are encountered much more often in pediatric dentistry, because children are afraid of all manipulations without exception, even the most harmless ones. And they are even more afraid of doctors. The child is not yet able to figure out which doctor is in front of him and what exactly he will do. The experience of vaccinations, blood tests, or treatment with injections provokes a child to further fear the man in the white coat.

Already at the age of two years, there may be a need to see a doctor, but the child is afraid to have his teeth treated. He is not able to control his emotions and a lot depends on the behavior of his parents and the doctor at this moment.

The reasons for children's fears can be not only the experience of injections and fear of upcoming pain, but also different stories that he heard at home from his parents or other relatives. Also, children quickly become wary when adults show that something unusual is happening, ask the child not to be afraid and behave quite tensely. This situation indicates that something unpleasant will happen.

What can doctors and parents do?

1. Initially, you need to treat going to the doctor as a normal and natural process. Teach your child that you need to take care of your teeth from childhood. Do not exaggerate the seriousness of the manipulations that will be carried out in the office.
2. The first contact between the dentist and the baby is very important. You need to establish a friendly understanding and show your good nature.
3. The doctor can conduct easy excursion around the office and tell you what tools are used and what they are used for, why dental treatment is important and how you can maintain their health for many years.
4. Little patients will be distracted by a cartoon or some other game moments during or before treatment.
5. If any unpleasant procedures, it is better to take pain relief. In this case, it is advisable to use not an injection, but another available analogue.

Video: how to stop being afraid of the dentist?

Facts about Dentophobia

To help reduce unreasonable fear, let's talk about interesting facts, which are associated with some mythical ideas about dental treatment:

• Fear of undergoing dental surgery during pregnancy. This is a fairly common fear, but completely wrong. Quite the contrary, because there is a constant source of infection in the mouth, it can lead to further problems in the development of the fetus and even affect the successful course labor activity. That’s why it’s so important to have your teeth treated in a timely manner, preferably before pregnancy. But if this moment was missed, then at this time you can also use the services of a dentist and medications that are completely safe for the unborn child.
• Fear of an injection, which is given to numb the further process. Some patients are much more afraid of this procedure, expecting that the injection itself will become very unpleasant and the sight of the needle can cause them to faint. Today, dentists use fairly small doses of high-quality and effective drugs. Some of them can be entered into some other alternative form, if you ask your doctor about it. After applying anesthesia, pain will not be felt at all, even with the most serious interventions.
• Fear when removing a nerve. Previously, this procedure was performed without anesthesia and many remembered it as incredibly painful. Today, this issue has been completely resolved and not a single doctor will allow such manipulation to be carried out without local anesthesia. What is much more important is that a diseased nerve, if it is not eliminated in time, can cause more serious problems in the oral cavity, which will take much longer to treat.
• Wariness before whitening procedures. Modern methods office bleaching have names that are incomprehensible to humans. But everyone knows that they use strong chemical substances and they are afraid that they can damage the enamel. In fact, if you carry out similar procedure in a good clinic that values ​​​​its reputation and uses only high-quality modern drugs and tools, then there is absolutely nothing to be afraid of.
• Drill – main enemy dentist patient. Many still remember what they were like just recently - noisy, voluminous, and some doctors did not handle them very carefully. Fortunately, times have changed, and now devices for treating carious cavities are much more delicate and work much quieter. In addition to the drill, there are others alternative ways treatment of caries and cavity cleaning, in which any pain is excluded.
• The upcoming procedure of prosthetics or, worse, implantation puts some patients in a semi-fainting state. But the use of modern anesthetics will completely eliminate any unpleasant sensations during their installation. And the healing period is also accompanied by taking medications that are safe for the body, but can relieve pain of any intensity. After installation, the implants are not felt at all in the jaw, and you will enjoy using them for many years.
• Only 2% of people have never visited a dentist in their lives.
• It has been established that every tenth patient experiences fear of the dentist’s chair. And most often, these are women.
• Successful dental treatment in childhood can prevent most of these phobias in adulthood.
• The weak effect of painkillers can be explained by the patient’s extreme fear, as well as by taking other drugs of a similar group or even alcohol.

Needed with early childhood. Modern clinics are equipped with the latest equipment, but fear of visiting dental office many still have it. Where does it come from? How not to be afraid of the dentist and go to dental treatment without feeling nervous? All these fears come from the past, when just the sight of a chair in the office made you feel uneasy.

Why are we afraid to treat our teeth?

Most human fears are far-fetched and exaggerated. Fear pain is banal and present to most people. It is also inconvenient that a person, sitting in a chair, cannot see what the dentist is doing in his mouth.

It is imperative to visit a doctor, otherwise it will affect your dental health. In the fear of dentists, as in any fear, one cannot miss the moment of its transition into a phobia, which is then very difficult to cure.

Banish bad thoughts from your head before visiting a doctor. Do not forget that modern medicine has the most the best equipment and painkillers.

Three forms of fear

To understand how to stop being afraid of the dentist, let's figure out why this happens. Human fears are divided into three types:

1. Acquired - based on personal experience. For example, negative interactions with dentists.
2. Congenital fears - appear due to genetic characteristics, low pain threshold or mental disorders.
3. Imaginary - appear on the basis of other people's reviews, mistrust of doctors.

It is important to regularly treat and prevent dental problems without waiting for the pain to intensify.

Anesthesia

Medicine is developing rapidly. In modern dentistry they create the latest drugs and developing treatments for children and adults. How not to be afraid of the dentist and go to the appointment with pleasure? Now all clinics offer a wide range of pain relief methods. They are divided into:

• Injectable.
• Non-injectable.

Injections are given both with disposable syringes and injectors. Such anesthesia, in turn, is divided into 3 types:

1. Infiltration - insertion of a needle into the transitional fold of the mucosa. This method is practically painless.
2. Conduction is a complex method of anesthetizing the branches of the trigeminal nerve.
3. Stem - in this case, anesthesia affects the entire jaw, used for severe injuries.

Non-injection methods are also different:

1. Electroanalgesia.
2. Reflexology.
3. Freezing individual areas for treatment.
4. Acupuncture.
5. The psychological method of pain relief is based on the use of music and films.

General anesthesia is used in some cases. For those who cannot overcome fear at all, doctors recommend sedatives, which are taken under medical supervision before dental treatment begins.

1. It is necessary to treat teeth from childhood. Without delaying your trip to the doctor, you can avoid painful and expensive procedures.
2. Be responsible when choosing a clinic and doctor. An experienced dentist will find an approach to every patient.
3. Before treatment, talk to your doctor, tell him about your wishes and fear of pain.
4. Before visiting the dental office, check information about anesthesia methods. Choose the appropriate one after knowing the contraindications.

It's normal to be afraid of pain at the dentist. The main thing is to cope with this problem and treat your teeth regularly.

Choosing a Dentist

It is recommended to choose a clinic based on recommendations from friends and acquaintances. To establish a relationship with a doctor and see the condition of the rooms and equipment, it is not necessary to treat your teeth right away. All you need to do is sign up for a consultation. During the examination, the doctor will tell you about the condition of teeth, cost and types of treatment, methods of pain relief.

A good dentist will not immediately insist on treatment, but will definitely tell you about necessary procedures. If the doctor has inspired confidence, there is no need to postpone making an appointment for the next appointment. After just a few successful visits to the dentist, fear will disappear.

Psychological attitude

How to stop being afraid of the dentist and prepare yourself for a visit to the doctor? To begin with, it is recommended to prepare for psychological level. Positive attitude- the key to good and painless treatment teeth.

Psychologists advise to perceive the dentist as a friend and assistant. Only he is able to relieve pain, which sometimes becomes unbearable. Before your appointment, it is better to distract yourself with calm music and read an interesting book.

What to do if you are afraid to go to the dentist alone? Ask your best friend to go with you, he will help you tune in and distract you from thoughts of fear at the right time.

To the doctor with a child

Children should be taught not to be afraid to have their teeth treated. To do this, parents need to show by example How not to be afraid of the dentist.

Before the first appointment, it is recommended to talk about how interesting and exciting dental treatment is. Children are never told that this can be painful or unpleasant.

If The child is afraid of the dentist; they take their favorite book or toy to the appointment. They choose a specialized clinic for dental treatment in children. It is often equipped with corners for games, a TV with cartoons and even a living corner. This will distract the kids from the situation and put them in a good mood. The doctor should be pleasant, with a calm voice and kind eyes.

Breathing techniques

A good attitude is the key successful treatment teeth. Relaxation techniques help reduce stress and normalize your heart rate. Several techniques are recommended:

1. Breathing - it can put a person in a good mood. To do this, inhale for 2 seconds, hold your breath for a while, and exhale very slowly. The result will appear after several approaches.
2. "Warmness of hands" Great exercise to overcome your fear of the dentist. To do this, keep the palms of your hands at a short distance from each other. There will be a feeling of warmth between them that you need to focus on. At the same time, they advise you to relax as much as possible.
3. You can try a very effective way of relaxation. It involves all parts of the body. First, we tense our feet and relax them. Moving on to the ankles and knees. Engage your hips while squeezing your hands. We draw in our stomach, exhale, straighten our shoulders. We move on to the face, wrinkling our nose and stretching our lips into a smile. This method relieves all tension, brings peace and tranquility.

How not to be afraid of the dentist and overcome your fears? All methods are good, the main thing is to choose the best one for yourself. One that will help relieve stress and make the dentist best friend. Parents are advised not to frighten children from childhood, because in the future this will affect dental health.

Julia Klouda

Head of the expert resource about dentistry Startsmile.ru.

How to stop being afraid of the dentist? "No way!" - many patients will answer, especially those who experienced Soviet dentistry, and, perhaps, will immediately drink four hundred drops of valerian.

Sometimes it seems that we absorb the fear of dentists with our mother’s milk, through which the memory of dental treatment without anesthesia, ineffective anesthesia and doctors not burdened with excessive politeness or patience is transmitted. However, times have finally changed... Or have they?

Is fear of dentists a disease?

Yes, panic fear of dentists is a disease called dentophobia, odontophobia or stomatophobia. The command “Get ready, rag, there will be anesthesia!” in this case it won't help at all. A person suffering from such a disease simply cannot cross the threshold of a dental office, even when toothache becomes completely unbearable.

It is important here to distinguish normal anxiety before a visit to the doctor from a panic state. If your anxiety gives way to the arguments of reason, then you do not have the disease.

If at the very thought of dental treatment arterial pressure jumps to unknown heights, rapid heartbeat begins, you are unable to follow even the simplest doctor’s instructions, then you have dental phobia.

Alas, you cannot hide from dental problems. Caries and tooth loss are fraught with gastrointestinal diseases, migraines, even scoliosis. In addition, prevention is not only much less painful, but also cheaper. serious treatment. So what should dentophobes do?

Where does fear come from?

Of course, every dental phobia has its own reasons for its appearance. Sometimes you can only cope with an illness with the help of a psychotherapist. However, in general, two groups of the most common causes of dental phobia can be distinguished.

Fear from the past

Many patients managed to experience Soviet dentistry. Those who had their teeth treated as children had especially vivid impressions. Many people still remember how they were held by four hands while the doctor drilled out caries without anesthesia.

Treatment for adults was no better. The main painkiller was the word “Be patient!” It is the deeply rooted belief that dentistry is always terrible pain, and forces people to avoid dentists for years.

Fear of the doctor's reaction

The second most common reason is the reluctance to find yourself again in the position of a child, whom an adult scolds for the neglected condition of his teeth. The patient is afraid that the doctor will harshly express his dissatisfaction with poor dental care. Ultimately, it is the fear of humiliation that forces one to endure pain and difficulty chewing food rather than go to the doctor.

Two ways to take the first step to the dentist

Of course, overcoming panic fear is quite difficult, but there are two ways that will help a dental phobe, if not overcome fear, then at least make sure that modern dentistry is not as terrible as it seems to him.

Knowledge is power

One of the most effective ways to overcome fear rooted in the past is to learn how modern ones work dental clinics. Today, doctors always offer the patient an injection of painkillers and use proven safe drugs for this.

Modern diagnostic and treatment tools make it possible not only to quickly, but also painlessly solve any problem.

In addition, dentists communicate with patients correctly and patiently, because they know that psychological comfort increases the success of treatment.

Doctor's politeness

Today you can completely fearlessly tell your dentist that you are afraid of the treatment. They will pay the same attention to the cause of your fear as to dental problems, select a suitable doctor, and also offer several options for dealing with panic fear.

How to forget about fear: psychology and medicine to the rescue

Psychological techniques

Methods of dealing with dental phobia depend on how strong your fear is. For many patients, it is enough to get carried away with something for the fear to dull or go away altogether. For example, in a doctor's office, television panels are sometimes installed above the chair. During the procedure, the patient watches a pleasant movie or entertaining program, distracting himself from the treatment.

For the same purpose, they use media glasses or headphones with music that drowns out the drill. If possible, it is replaced with a laser. The mere absence of a drill calms many anxious patients.

In addition, sometimes before an appointment with a doctor, some dentists perform spa treatments. Light massage, aromatherapy, pleasant herbal and relaxing music often help patients overcome increased anxiety.

Medical tricks

However, sometimes dental phobia can be so strong that fear overshadows all attempts to escape. Then doctors offer the patient a medicinal solution - this is either dental treatment under general anesthesia (aka anesthesia), or in a state of sedation. What's the difference?

Sedation allows the patient to communicate with the doctor, follow his instructions and answer questions. But at the same time the patient is calm and relaxed. Anxieties, worries are completely smoothed out.

Sedation is tolerated much easier by most patients than anesthesia. Moreover, if there are several problem teeth, then sedation can be used to full treatment them all, thereby reducing the number of visits to the doctor.

Anesthesia, or general anesthesia, - This last resort, which is used in cases where even sedation does not help the patient cope with fear. Anesthesia is used if the condition of the oral cavity requires very extensive treatment, since this is a complex type of pain relief that can have serious consequences.

What's the result?

Modern dentistry does everything so that patients with dental phobia can have their teeth treated efficiently and easily.

• carefully choose the clinic where you will be treated;
• find a permanent doctor whom you will get used to;
• professional hygiene at least once every six months will protect your teeth from, and you from the drill.

Also remember to brush your teeth twice a day, use dental floss and rinse aids. Then you won’t be afraid of caries, just like the dentist!