The Dental Jitters - Or "Do I Really Need To See The Dentist?"
An alarmingly high percentage of the population doesn't see the Dentist regularly.
The exact percentage varies depending on what researcher you read but, the fact is proven to the point that some Dental insurance companies bank on it.
It may seem hard for some to believe that even people with adequate Dental insurance coverage will not go to the Dentist unless they are in pain or are currently experiencing a problem.
In an effort to understand this phenomenon better I asked patients who came into my office, after years of not receiving regular dental care, what it was that had kept them from going.
The answers varied somewhat but most patients had either had negative experiences in the past, or had friends or family members who "shared their own negative experiences with them.
As a result, these people kept putting off their dental visits until their problems were too serious to be ignored any longer.
Another problem that these people reported to me is that once they had a "dental crisis", they were a bit embarrassed to go to the Dentist for fear of being told that they had been negligent or fear that they might find out that they required an enormous amount of dental work.
So, how does a person get around the Dental Jitters? First of all it's important to note that Dentistry has changed a lot over the years.
Those old belt and pulley drills have been replaced by small handpieces that are relatively vibration free and much quieter.
Also the "drill bits" are very small and many are made of diamond particles which allow for smooth removal of damaged tooth structure and decay.
Anesthetic techniques which allow relatively painless dentistry are commonplace due to more effective preparations of anesthetic solution.
Many other improvements have taken place too numerous to list.
The avoidance of things that we consider unpleasant is very normal and natural.
Dentists are aware of this fact and are very happy to help patients over their apprehensions.
One common factor that I also noted in apprehensive patients that have come to me for help is that they made a decision that they wanted to keep their teeth.
This decision helped them to muster up the courage necessary make that first appointment.
These people are now on their way to getting and keeping their teeth healthy for a lifetime - and that's what Dentistry is all about.
The exact percentage varies depending on what researcher you read but, the fact is proven to the point that some Dental insurance companies bank on it.
It may seem hard for some to believe that even people with adequate Dental insurance coverage will not go to the Dentist unless they are in pain or are currently experiencing a problem.
In an effort to understand this phenomenon better I asked patients who came into my office, after years of not receiving regular dental care, what it was that had kept them from going.
The answers varied somewhat but most patients had either had negative experiences in the past, or had friends or family members who "shared their own negative experiences with them.
As a result, these people kept putting off their dental visits until their problems were too serious to be ignored any longer.
Another problem that these people reported to me is that once they had a "dental crisis", they were a bit embarrassed to go to the Dentist for fear of being told that they had been negligent or fear that they might find out that they required an enormous amount of dental work.
So, how does a person get around the Dental Jitters? First of all it's important to note that Dentistry has changed a lot over the years.
Those old belt and pulley drills have been replaced by small handpieces that are relatively vibration free and much quieter.
Also the "drill bits" are very small and many are made of diamond particles which allow for smooth removal of damaged tooth structure and decay.
Anesthetic techniques which allow relatively painless dentistry are commonplace due to more effective preparations of anesthetic solution.
Many other improvements have taken place too numerous to list.
The avoidance of things that we consider unpleasant is very normal and natural.
Dentists are aware of this fact and are very happy to help patients over their apprehensions.
One common factor that I also noted in apprehensive patients that have come to me for help is that they made a decision that they wanted to keep their teeth.
This decision helped them to muster up the courage necessary make that first appointment.
These people are now on their way to getting and keeping their teeth healthy for a lifetime - and that's what Dentistry is all about.
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