 |
There’s almost nothing that can be done to stop some people from being disgusted by thoughts of visiting the dentist.
But people in the dental profession will still try. Recently the Adult Dental Health Survey, a study conducted by the British Dental Health Foundation, put together a comprehensive analysis on the matter. Nearly 30 million people visit the dentist and when people have fears about doing so, this information may help to allay this phobia in some situations.
Female patients that claimed to be scared of the dentist were six times likelier to be disgusted when seeing dental images compared to women who aren’t afraid of dental visits. Overall, men and women were equally afraid of the dentist, but women afraid of the dentist were more grossed out by seeing the dental images.
Many dentists now try to take the patients’ possible fears into account. This way, the dentists can take the best course of action to treat these patients.
There are even dentists who specialize in treating nervous patients. Years ago, these people never would have visited the dentist but they can cope with their fear much better based on the profession’s understanding of this issue.
Listening to music, coming up with a stop symbol or relaxation/sedation techniques are all ways that are used to ensure a patient isn’t scared of the treatment they are receiving.
