Dental Patient’s Fear and Dentist Avoidance
Dental Patient’s Fear and Dentist Avoidance
Dental Fear and how to overcome it
Dental patient’s fear, and how to ease it. Dentistry has come a long way through higher standards, much greater dental health awareness and innovative dental technology.
About 15 percent of dental patients still experience dental fear or phobia, according to the Columbia University College of Dental Medicine. There is a wide range, going from slight anxiety to crippling phobia.
It is important to discuss fear symptoms with patients and to take a step to ease this fear. The dental visit will then be much easier on both you and the patient.
Think about these suggestions to turn office visits into a more pleasant experience.
The friendly atmosphere from your personnel (receptionist, office manager, hygienist, dentist)
Calming, soothing environment (comfortable chairs, couches, family magazines, fish tanks)
Sedation – a much-discussed topic with a number of pros and cons
Technology – laser instrumentation is far less intimidating than some traditional drills
Why Patients Don’t Want To See a Dentist
Here are some interesting facts on the reasons why dental patients don’t want to see a dentist
In a recently conducted survey, respondents gave the following reasons why they had not seen a dentist in more than three years:
About 35% did not think a dentist visit was necessary
About 18% were afraid of the cost or could not afford the treatment
About 11% just did not make the time available and see it as a priority
And about 7% cited fear of the dental visit
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