Dental Phobia is Very Real: How to Get Past It

It’s not important which member of the family has it; when there’s someone with a palpable sense of dental phobia, everyone knows about it. They do anything to avoid the dentist’s chair. They’re holding their cheek in pain but apparently, nothing is wrong with their teeth... They either had a bad experience before or a friend did or they’re just were born scared of doctor’s offices, dental clinics, and so on. That's why it's important to look for reputable clinics, like this experienced dentist in Vista to help get rid of that phobia, among other ways.

We’re here to tackle the problem on your behalf. That way, you can get yourself, your significant other or your kids to the dentist on a regular basis for check-ups and any dental work they need doing.

Dealing with Children with an Irrational Fear of the Dentist

When the family member is one of your children, then it requires a different approach to adults in the family.

Kids may not have been to the dentist before but have heard from their older sister or brother that it was painful on their last visit. As a result, they fold their arms and dig their feet in. They’re not going, they inform you. Hmm... Not good. Other than giving the older sibling a look to say, “Thanks for that!” – what should be done?

What’s best is to arrange a check-up and cleaning only for you. If you’re working with a local dentist (perhaps the people at www.tarneitrddental.com.au), they’ll understand when you explain it’s a pain-free example for your son or daughter to learn from. Once they’ve gotten more comfortable with the idea, booking an appointment to see the Tarneit Road Dental Clinic with a parent in tow won’t be so hard.

Getting Yourself or Your Partner to Go

Dealing with adults is tougher. We’re not so easily convinced. It depends on the person as to what will help make them want to go and decide to show up.

For instance, maybe a spouse who’s previously said no to seeing a certain movie or a taking a more active holiday but will say yes if he agrees to see the dentist, will be persuasive enough.

Other times, fear tactics can also work. Examples of tooth decay and how it can damage the gums and eventually lead to all their teeth falling out is convincing! Gum disease can even be directly linked to dementia and cancer too.

Wait Until They’ve Got a Dental Issue

A case to see the dentist is even more convincing when they’ve developed some tooth decay or a cavity. In that situation, the pain becomes more than they can bear, and you only have put the dentist’s business card in their hand for a few seconds and they’ll be dialling for an emergency appointment.

Once they are at the appointment with the dentist asking to schedule their next one, the ball is rolling at that point. Then they just need persuading to go to the next appointment when their tooth isn’t providing the motivational pain to prod them to go.

While dental phobia is a real thing for some people, use one or more of the tactics described above to overcome it. Gums and teeth don’t stay healthy unless they’re maintained properly. Don’t leave it too long.