Fear of the Dentist (Dentaphobia)

Previous negative events related to the dentist prevent people from going to treatment unless they reach the final point. One of the first things to be done in this regard is for dentists to be in good communication with their patients and ensure that they trust themselves.

In order to have a positive experience in the practice, patients;

• To love and trust the dentist and his team,
• They fully believe that they can have all the control,
• They need to be sure that they will not feel any pain or that they will be well anesthetized.

Why are children afraid of sitting in the dentist chair?

The concept of the dentist chair does not hold a good place in minds, especially when it comes to children. There are understandable reasons for this. All kinds of external intervention to the body integrity of children creates serious fear and defense reflex. For this reason, it is not easy to persuade children under 6 years old. Moreover, since the intervention is the mouth, that is, the inner part of the body, the fear increases even more. Children, like adults, are hesitant to undergo dental treatment because they cannot see the interventions in their mouths.

When the dentist is mentioned, thoughts that can create unpleasant connotations such as pulling teeth also feeds fear. This association can reinforce the fear in the child. For him, in small children; Precautions such as the support of a trusted person with the child, the relief of the child with drug support beforehand, and the gradual treatment of the child may be beneficial. Children older than 6 years of age are relatively better at coping with pain and fear, but experience pain and anxiety internally. It would be appropriate to inform these children in advance about the procedures to be performed.

Child; It records the reactions of parents, friends and close circles in its brain. This is the learning of fear through conditioning. In other words, fear of dentist’s chair, “fear of mathematics, fear of needles, fear of police, fear of school” etc. in our society. It is one of the fears learned through social learning.

It has been seen that it is very helpful to bring the child to visit before he gets sick so that the child overcomes his fear. It should not be forgotten that the children of families who can develop a good relationship with dentists are more fortunate in terms of dental and oral health, and dentists are family friends.

board member

Dt. Recep ESKAR