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Posted on 8/15/2019 by Rho Family Dentistry |
 Many of our patients who are afraid of dentists forget that at one time we were only patients. We had no knowledge of the instruments we use as dentists and we knew nothing about the various procedures available. We did not know why you x-ray our teeth so much, what the x-rays showed us or why we used a drill. We had no understanding of any of the tools of the trade just as many of our patients have the same lack of knowledge. What we did find out in dental school, particularly if we had ever been afraid of dentists, is that understanding the instruments and procedures can go a long way towards alleviating the anxiety our patients have about seeing a dentist. How Does Asking Questions Help?Fear of the dentist causes many people to avoid the dentist. I turn, this causes many problems that could be fixed left unattended. Many times, these unattended problems lead to medical problems. Your mouth and its parts are directly related to airways and nasal passages. Infections that start in your mouth are thus easily transmitted to other parts of your body. We, your dentists, are in the unique position of being able to catch these problems early before they become symptomatic or spread elsewhere in your body. Seeing us regularly is important so research on relieving anxiety is ongoing. If you walked into our office and saw the bright overhead light and knew that all it was, was a bright overhead light, you would not be anxious. But if you see that funny-looking thing turned off but over the area where you expect your head to be, you may get a little nervous because you may wonder what we are going to do with it. The same is true of our instrument tray. Some of our instruments do look tortuous when in fact they are not and don't even have the capacity to cause pain. If we went through each of the most commonly used instruments and explained what they were for and how we use them, it would allay your fears. This is true of everything we do. Give our office a call and ask if you could come a little early to your appointment so you can ask questions. We would be happy to help. |
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