Dental anxiety and fear is real for many of us in New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont. These feelings aren’t easy to overcome, leading to serious complications.
Recent Study On Dental Fear And Anxiety
In a recent study published in the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute, titled Trauma, Terror, and Toothpaste: Exploring Memories for Dental Visits Across a Range of Patient Fear, examines the role emotional fear plays when sitting in the dental chair.
Given that the weighted prevalence of dental fear across the seven U.S. studies conducted in clinical practices is 38.87% and that memories of traumatic dental care are remarkably vivid and tend to have lifelong implications, we make the following recommendations based on our study’s results.
First, dental practices should universally screen every patient at every visit for dental fear on a simple 0–10 scale.
Second, for fearful patients (4+ on the 0–10 scale), dental professionals should inquire about prior negative experiences at the dentist, acknowledging and validating the patient’s experiences.
Third, the dental staff should partner with the patient to plan an approach that minimizes situations evoking the primary vulnerabilities underlying the patient’s prior experiences (i.e., staff should listen for themes of uncontrollable, unpredictable, dangerous, disgusting, and untrustworthy events and actions).
Finally, dental healthcare providers should diligently enact the plan, providing an opportunity to disconfirm cognitions that these themes are endemic and unavoidable when seeking dental care
If you have a complete deal phobia or even panic stricken when you get to the dentist, it is okay. We completely understand and are here to help you feel relaxed. Blue Sky Anesthesia Associates bring safe, hospital level IV sedation to your New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont, dental office.
While you remain conscious during the entire appointment, the intravenous nature means you will be fully relaxed throughout the treatment. Patients will have little to any memory of the procedures or the pain or discomfort.
Hospital level IV sedation will calm all your fears and allow the dentist to perform several procedures all in one appointment. You won’t have to change dentists, we bring everything to your dental office for safe sedation.
