Odontophobia – dental fear, dental anxiety. An intense fear of visiting the dentist or getting dental treatment done.
I have seen so many people in my close and extended circle to have tremendous fear of everything about dental treatments. Forget about root canals and dental implants, even scaling and polishing, filling cavities seems like a deadly procedure.
A bit of a background: Since the age of 5, I have been such a regular at the dentist clinic. In the childhood, I have got my dental cavities filled, milk teeth removed to make way for permanent teeth. This has continued for all these years and root canal, crowns, bridges are not new to me. A few years back, I even got dental implants – experience of which I have shared in detail here.
And all these treatments I had to undergo even after regular brushing, flossing, mouth-washing, scaling and polishing. I don’t smoke, drink or consume junk drinks too. So I guess it’s genetic or hereditary or whatever term we might use.
Been there and done that, lemme share with you a few tips and tricks that will help you to overcome this fear and put the focus back on #oralhealth
?Visit your dentist regularly. I will suggest 6 months/1 year at least. However contradictory it may sound, yes, to reduce the fear, you have to face the fear! My regular visits to dentists have helped me save some of my pearlies I am sure.
?Follow consistent and strict Oral health regimen. I brush twice properly. Use mouthwash at least once and floss properly as per dentist’s advice.
?In case anything needs to be done with your teeth; most probably it will be fillings for cavities that get identified first; then have a chat with your dentist. There is no need to feel scared or ashamed or anything. Just ask anything and everything. You have a right to know every small detail about your own mouth isn’t it?
?Those lights, drills and needles indeed look overwhelming and you’ll probably have a feeling to run away before any action but keep calm and tell yourself that it’s for your own good, for your own health. Take a deep breath, hold clinic assistant’s hand (Not dentist’s ??) and believe me it really makes things easier.
?Anticipation of pain is worse than actual pain – most important point to remember!!! Once the gums are numb, you DO NOT feel any pain. We just anticipate the pain and get extremely scared.
?Take your post-treatment medication and rest very well. Dental treatments especially root canals and dental implants need proper timeline and we should stick to it.
?The medicines, the technology and the expertise of dentists is so advanced and we should trust it completely. Once we do that, we are ready for our dental treatments.
?Have a hearty chat with your friends and family. That’s the best mood booster before you get your treatment done. Ask Me Anything about it and I’ll be more than happy to cheer you up too. ??
Remember – Oral Health is as important as and equivalent to Overall health. Please don’t ignore!
#firsthandexperience #tipsandtricks #savepost #mustread
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