Dental anxiety, or dental fear, is estimated to affect approximately 36% of the population, with a further 12% suffering from extreme dental fear [1].
How common are dentophobia and dental fear? About 36% of people in the U.S. have a fear of dental treatment, with 12% having an extreme fear. About 3% of adults in industrialized countries may have dentophobia and avoid going to the dentist at all. Fear of dentists is more common in females than in males.
How common is dental anxiety? High dental fear affects approximately one in six Australian adults and about one in ten children.
Dental anxiety is common and can affect people of any age. Children who have had bad dental experiences in most cases can overcome their fear if the situation is managed well and they are well cared for and supported during further dental visits.
The most common conditions were back problems (27%); elevated cholesterol (16%); anxiety (16%); depression (13%); headaches (12%); arthritis (10%); ringing in the ear (9%); numbness/tingling, paresthesia, or muscle weakness (8%); temporomandibular joint dysfunction (8%); and chronic pain (8%).
Experts estimate that roughly three-quarters of patients experience some level of fear or anxiety before and during their dental appointments.
So, there you go - dental anxiety is both genetic and learned.
Use relaxation techniques and medications
Many people find it helpful to do stretches, meditation, or deep controlled breathing. If you suffer from extreme anxiety, you may want to call up your dentist and ask about what type of sedation techniques may be appropriate to help you relax further.
Your dentist may prescribe anti-anxiety drugs, such as diazepam (Valium), that you can take one hour before a scheduled dental visit. Your dentist may also recommend conscious sedation, such as nitrous oxide (or “laughing gas”), which can help calm nerves.
Also called pill sedation, oral sedation is a type of sedation dentistry that uses prescription medication to help patients relax before and during their dental exams. The medication used for oral sedation is usually a type of benzodiazepine such as Valium, Xanax, or Halcion.
If dental anxiety or fear has stopped you from seeing your dentist, you're not alone. An estimated 80% of Americans have some level of dental anxiety, with 9% to 15% avoiding the dentist entirely due to anxiety or fear.
What percentage of Americans have dental problems? More than 90 percent of American adults have cavities in their permanent teeth. More than 25 percent of American adults have untreated dental decay. And adults have an average of three or more missing or permanent teeth.
Seven in 10 people admit to feeling self-conscious about their teeth and, unfortunately, a lot of the criticism is coming from those closest to them. One in four have received a negative comment about their teeth from a significant other or coworker.
Believe it or not, 1 in 10 adults has severe dental anxiety (Bowman, Carlsson, Westin, & Hackenberg, 2013).
Studies show that about 50% of Americans are insecure about their teeth. This causes people to go out of their way to hide their smiles from those around them. Unfortunately, this increases the risk of developing other oral health issues.
The most painful dental procedure is likely to be a root canal as it requires removing the nerve tissue from the tooth's pulp chamber. To mitigate the pain associated with this procedure, it is best to visit your dentist regularly and use preventive techniques such as brushing and flossing your teeth twice a day.
It is used effectively in patients with dental anxiety [4]. As it has strong lipid solubility, it is rapidly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract, and the highest plasma concentration is reached after 1–2 h [6]. Typically, the dosage of diazepam for anxiolytic effects in adults is 5–10 mg.
If you haven't been to the dentist in several years, there's a good chance you may have one or two cavities that require attention. If you are visiting the dentist due to severe pain, you may need root canal therapy to address an infection that has entered the underlying pulp.
Yes, a toothache caused by stress is possible. Stress and nerves can cause tension effects on the jaw, with stress often causing a person to grind their teeth. When you are clenching the jaw due to stress you can easily cause aches and pains, which is typically a result of wearing down the enamel.
So, can stress or anxiety cause your teeth to shift/move? The answer is a resounding YES! If feeling stressed or anxious causes you to develop bruxism, over time the regular grinding and clenching of your teeth and the subsequent pressure on them could cause them to alter position slightly.
Crying or feeling the desire to cry is extremely common when you are experiencing high levels of anxiety. Pay attention to your emotions when you are thinking about a visit to the dental office.
Tooth Fears Many people do not have a problem with their teeth. Rather, their anxiety causes them to obsess over their teeth, believing that every toothache means there is a tooth health problem and possibly even over-brushing to the point where they can actually damage their teeth and gums.
Fear of pain.
This fear usually stems from an early dental experience that was unpleasant or painful or from dental "pain and horror" stories told by others. Thanks to the many advances in dentistry made over the years, most of today's dental procedures are considerably less painful or even pain-free.
Dental fear and dental anxiety are different psychological states for patients. Dental anxiety is a reaction to feeling danger or apprehension in dental situations; on the other hand, fear is generally regarded as a physiological, behavioral and emotional response to a feared stimulus.