Good news for anxious patients – there is no need to fear the dentist

Anxious patients

Fear of the dentist – a big issue for many people

Dental treatment can be painful, for example when it involves replacing teeth. Knowing this makes many patients anxious before and during treatment. Most people overcome this fear. However, for around 5–15% of adults, fear of the dentist is so strong that they avoid the dental practice for years and only seek treatment when they are in severe pain. By then the damage to their teeth is serious, and extensive procedures such as tooth replacement are usually needed and have to be endured. This reinforces the fear, and quality of life suffers too, because many anxious patients are ashamed of the state of their teeth and therefore avoid talking or laughing in public. This extreme avoidance is what distinguishes normal fear of the dentist from dental phobia. The intense fear can show itself in psychological symptoms such as a feeling of detachment from oneself (depersonalisation) or from one’s surroundings (derealisation), and can be accompanied by physical symptoms such as breathing difficulties, hot flushes and tingling sensations.

How do people become anxious patients?

A pathological fear of dental treatment can have various causes. Most often, it stems from traumatic experiences at the dentist. But the fear can also be learned from others, for example when family members talk about their visits to the dental practice. People can also become anxious patients through classical conditioning: harmless things such as a white coat then trigger fear because they were previously experienced at the same time as pain. Uncertainty about whether there will be pain can lead to anticipatory anxiety, and uncertainty about how the treatment will proceed can also cause fear. The social aspect of the situation can be frightening too: some anxious patients feel helpless, fear losing self-control, or find that certain traits or behaviours of the dentist trigger their anxiety. Dental anxiety can also occur in connection with a mental illness such as depression, an anxiety disorder or post-traumatic stress disorder.

How is dental anxiety treated?

Dental anxiety can be treated relatively quickly and usually successfully. On average, six to ten psychotherapy sessions are needed, and there are also special therapy methods that successfully tackle the problem in a single session lasting two to three hours. Afterwards, around 70% of patients go on to see a dentist regularly in the medium term and are able to accept treatments such as tooth replacement. Medication that reduces anxiety and pain, or measures such as a general anaesthetic, on the other hand, only help in the short term and should only be used in exceptional cases, when an anxious patient needs emergency treatment at the dental practice.

Are you an anxious patient? Then come and get to know us.

Anxious patients are very welcome here. As a first step, we get to know you, advise you and only treat you once we have agreed on how to proceed. We show empathy and understanding to all our
patients. Anti-anxiety medication and anaesthesia options are of course also
available if your fears seem insurmountable at first. A popular method of treating our
anxious patients is nitrous oxide sedation.

We want you to have positive experiences and attend regular check-ups so that extensive treatment can be avoided. Because lifelong dental health should be within reach for anxious patients too.