DENTAL FEARS AND TREATMENT

This blog goes out to a VIP in response DENTAL PHOBIA. To all of you out there feeling like you are the only one who fears the dentist, I am sorry to disappoint but maybe you can seek comfort and support, in numbers. It is sad but true. I hear on a daily basis from my patients "I don't want to be here," or"I will be better once I am out of here" or "I hate the dentist" (it is no wonder dentist are high on the suicide ratings) my response is usually "well, your in luck, I'm the hygienist :)" probably not what you want to hear either, sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood. But on a serious note most hygienist want you to feel as comfortable as possible and make it hopefully a relaxing appointment... But today I will be giving you some tips for those phobics out there.

Don't give up hope, you have options.

First of all, you need to do your research on offices... this includes referrals from friends, family and coworkers. You are obviously not alone, about your detest for the dentist; so I am sure there is someone out there who can give you a heads up on who to steer clear of and who is really great with working with patients who have dental anxiety. If you can't find one near your home it may be worth it to travel. I have seen patients come from out of state and several hours because they trust a certain dentist and plan their vacation time or days off around dental appointments this may be an option.

What to expect

• If you do not go regularly or have not been in years, expect there to be a lot of work to do. Then if you don't have any it will be a happy surprise instead of the opposite.("the best kind of prize is a SURprise...")
  

• If you have not had a cleaning in 3- 5 yrs expect you will need a Scaling and Root Planing(S/RP's) or aka a " deep cleaning" it is rare to find someone who has gone 5 yrs with out a cleaning who doesn't need S/RP's but if you are that diamond in the ruff , kudos to you, but don't make it a habit because it may soon catch up to you.

• Often patients with a fear of the dentist put off dental appointments until they absolutely have to go because of a some toothache or abscess. DO NOT DO THIS. This only instills another bad experience to write down in your dental nightmare journal.

When there is infection in the tooth already and you are in pain; the pain is automatically associated with the treatment. Instead of the treatment being associated of relieving the pain. Also the worse the infection is, the harder to anesthetize the tooth (this is what we call a hot tooth, not fun). But if we catch it early, on routine appointments before it gets to a root canal or abscess, the anesthetic will be more effective, and the treatment less memorable :) .


DON'T PANIC YOU HAVE OPTIONS

Things to look for if your have a fear of the dentist or dental treatment...

• EXPERIENCE with treating anxious patients or phobic patients (very important) I worked in an office known for treating phobic patients . We treated phobics on a daily basis this is what I mean about lots of experience. Our patients absolutely loved our dentist and staff and eventually were able to come in routinely with out meds or being sedated.
  
• Do they offer nitrous oxide (aka laughing gas)
  
• Do they offer twilight or conscience sleep sedation
• A focus on overcoming your fear of dental treatment
  

Patients phobias range in different levels of anxiety and the dental staff will work with you to help with best option to help you over come your fear. I know what your thinking, "overcoming my fear, that's not going to happen."
Well, it most likely will not happen in one appointment nor two. But the hope is that over many appointments of relaxed painless dentistry and trust, that it will reduce your anxiety level where it is controlled with out meds. This will also help with lowering dental bills, too :). Offices that truly focus on dental phobics are sympathetic to your dental fear and want to help. We know that for what ever reason it may be (trauma, bad experience, stories...) it is real to you and heightens your sensitivities.

COST

Just like anything else when it requires a little more effort and resources needed; it is going to cost more.

Some dentist will assess your anxiety level and say "lets put you to sleep get it all done in one appointment, so you are all caught up , and then just bring you back for routine cleanings."
Positive side: conscience sedation, no pain ,no memory of the experience, lots of sleep .
Negative side: $$$, but it may be worth it , No DRIVING, you will need a ride to and from home
Recommended for patients with high anxiety

Some may offer making numerous appointments for a limited time frame doing as much as they can do with what you can handle under local anesthetic.
Positive side : short appointments, some may feel more in control
Negative side: many appointments, memory of everything, $$
Recommended for patients with slight anxiety

Some may do a hybrid of limited time appointments and nitrous oxide and/or anti anxiety med with local anesthetic.
side: compromise of the above$ may still need a ride to and from home depending on the anti anxiety med.
Recommended for patients with moderate anxiety

TIP: Once you get caught up try really hard to keep your routine appointments this will help reduce anxiety and prevent further nightmarishly bad experiences. It only takes one missed appointment to go back to where you started.

GIVE ME THE DRUGS

It is important to note that certain medications affect people differently and may have side effects. The staff should go over these clearly with you before treatment and have you sign a consent form.

Conscience sedation: sleepy, emotional, weepy (crying, for no reason). Must have a person in the room at all times watching you.
Nitrous oxide : patients may become silly or violent when inhaling through the nose. This will become apparent within minutes and is quickly reversed. N2O does not stay in the system and is completely out of your system after 5 minutes of oxygen. Must have a person in the room watching you at all times.
anti-anxiety: very relaxed, sleepy, depending on med my need a person watching them at all times

They will also inform you of the very rare slim chance of fatality as with any medication or dental procedure, but the patient still has to be informed. If you have concerns you can ask how often the doctor performs this treatment and if their has been any incidents. The doctor I worked with did conscience sedation three times a week, if not daily. Not all will be able to do daily if there is not another dentist in the office because it is very time consuming. It should be noted that it is considered to one of the safest way to do treatment since it can be immediately reversed if any complications arise. But the dentist AND RDA must be trained properly.


I'M DRUG FREE
tips for dealing with anxiety the zen way

COUNSELING/ THERAPY: Believe it or not but there are therapists and counselors who also help with dental fears
HYPNOTHERAPY
MEDITATION
CREATE A DISTRACTION: I PODS, mp3 players...
EXPLANATION: Some patients prefer to have every step explained to them as the treatment goes, it helps with understanding, what to expect, and control.
FENG SHUI: OK ,this one is a bit silly... but I do have a patient who comes in and situates the room to her liking ...such as closing the blinds, dimming the computer screen, wearing sunglasses and situating the chair to her liking. whatever floats her boat and makes her calmer is fine with me.

I think I covered it all if there are any other questions or comments please post. I am sure there are a lot of concerns I did not address or skipped over so please do not be shy.