Patient’s Dental Fear: Managing Anxiety Essay

Introduction

Medical science has already revealed methods to make the treatment process as much comfortable for the patient as possible. Indeed, these days even a visit to the dentist is quite a tolerable procedure, as there are psychological and physiological approaches to the matter, which allow patients to feel safe during the process. The treatment is usually divided into stages that include verification of the psychological problem and further proceedings with the patient in order to make him or her comfortable. This paper will review some of them and provide an example of a conversation between a patient and doctor.

Managing Dental Fear / Anxiety

In order to find out the most effective ways to cope with the patient’s dental fear, one might consider those methods which will be applicable in accordance with the state of a client. First of all, it is critical to outline the fundamental importance of procedures and interventions that are related to this sphere. The appearance of various complications if some condition is left untreated might contribute to the emergence of the need for more complex or painful procedures. For this reason, it is critical to address the dentist in time and eliminate fear.

Another approach is the provision of patients with an opportunity to select among specialists. Availability of multiple options will have a positive impact on clients’ states as they will be able to cooperate with health workers they consider reliable or attractive to them. This approach shows a high level of effectiveness in various settings. Furthermore, many patients might have fear because of the loss of control. To mitigate this very feeling, there should be an opportunity to make pauses during any stage of treatment and availability of tools to inform about the deterioration of individuals’ state. It will help also help to provide patients with the guarantee of their safety and avoid anxiety or feelings of claustrophobia or similar undesired conditions.

Finally, many patients state that they might feel embarrassed when dentists look in their oral cavity and investigate it. This fear can be mitigated by making a comparison between this and other clinical interventions that are offered with the primary aim to improve the quality of life. In such a way, using these measures, dental fears can be reduced, and patients will be able to enjoy a positive environment.

Managing Dental Gagging

Another undesirable effect of dental treatment is gagging, which might affect the result of doctor’s work. In order to restrict its negative influence, the doctor, as well as the patient, might follow the below-given pieces of advice.

1. The doctor may apply an isolating interlayer called cofferdam to reduce the negative impact of instruments on the oral mucosa.
2. The patient is recommended to take herbs and pills with a sedative effect.
3. It is advised to breathe through a nose to prevent the irritation of the nasopharynx.
4. The patient also needs to have a meal an hour before the procedure in order to avoid excessive salivation.

Dialogue Sample

• Good afternoon!
• Good afternoon!
• How do you feel? Are there any particular concerns?
• I feel fine, thanks for asking. The only thing that concerns me is my last visit to the dentist. I had quite an unpleasant experience and felt threatened by even thinking about the next visit ever since.
• I see. Let me help you overcome your fear. What are you afraid of the most?
• Well, I am not sure, but I feel really terrified by pain and any unexpected actions during the process.
• How do you think, what scares you exactly? Is it somehow connected with the car accident?
• Well… It is hard to say. However, I admit that after the accident, I started worrying about anything that I cannot forecast.
• Then I guess the problem is connected with the shock you have experienced. After the tragedy, you are threatened with the idea of something sudden, unexpected appearing.
• You are probably right, and I need to work on this.
• Certainly, and I can assure you that there is nothing to be afraid of, as every step of the treatment procedure will be preannounced. Firstly, I will make an anesthetic injection in order to prevent any unpleasant feelings. After several minutes I will start the procedure by making notifications about the beginning or end of each step. Besides, we might even find a special sign to stop the process if you suddenly feel bad. You will also be provided with a collection of TV shows to distract you during the procedure. Does the strategy describe seem appropriate?
• Yes, it does. Thank you for the clarification.
• You are welcome. Let’s start the procedure then, shall we?