I Hate Going to the Dentist

I hate the Dentist! This is what a large percentage of the population say when they think of having dental work done. Many patients avoid going to the dentist until they are in so much pain that they have no choice but to go. Most of the time these patients have waited so long they have infection present. This avoidance may limit the choices for treatment, and make the visit seem to be painful. What many patients "forget" in many situations is that the pain was present prior to their dental visit. Many patients simply don't understand the connection between routine dental visits and painless oral health. The truth is that communication is the key for the patient, dental assistant and the dentist.

The patient should not hesitate to be truthful about their dental fears. Many times the fear is connected to a particular dental experience. Sharing these experiences can allow a patient to start to establish a dialog with their dental care provider. This honesty can open the door for the dental care provider to treat the patient and offer options with respect to these fears and concerns. If not communicated, these repressed fears can manifest themselves in behaviors such as avoidance which can be detrimental to the patients overall oral health.

The dental assistant is a vital link in obtaining pertinent information from the patient to be communicated to the dental care provider. The dental assistant should ask questions of the patient that may encourage the sharing of this type of important information. The dental assistant can reassure the patient that all concerns are important, regardless of perception on the patients part. This type of dialog with the patient can ultimately be liberating for the patient and extremely useful in future treatment needs. The assistant can then provide the patient with possible options for treatment, which can accommodate and that may alleviate their dental fears. By establishing this important line of communication, the assistant can reassure the patient that they can have control over their fear of the dentist and dental treatment. The assistants roll as a patient advocate in the communication process is an essential key to anxiety-free dentistry.

The dentist will diagnose of all the treatment options provided. The dental provider will take into consideration your treatment needs, and the topics of concern in providing this treatment. The treatment may then include modalities that intended effects are designed to alleviate your fears and make having dental work a "positive" experience. The dentist may provide nitrous oxide "laughing gas", conscious sedation or "IV" sedation. Some other distraction techniques that may be helpful are MP3 players and televisions. The main goal of honest communication in dentistry is trust. This trust allows the patient to establish a long term relationship with routine dental care, while being empowered to manage their dental fears.