Why am I scared of dentists?

“I’m scared of dentists.”

“I hate dentists.”

“I hate the dentist.”

These are powerful words echoed to me on a regular basis. To be completely honest, it’s hard not to get a little hurt by these statements even though I have a healthier ego than most.

However, I have put my ego aside for many years to find out through lots of question asking, patients, staffs and colleague dentists about why the fear of dentists is so high on the list of fears that people (patients) have.

This blog will aim to address some of the major reasons why this fear is so palpable amongst so many patients. I also hope not to risk the ire of my older colleague dentists who I do value and respect immensely however I must be truthful.

The first major reason is that having dental work done is an “invasive” procedure. There are no two ways about it. Having another human being putting their fingers into your mouth, pulling your cheeks and tongue, this way and that, injecting the highly sensitive tissues of the mouth and face is not a pleasant experience. We haven’t even got to the drilling and filling part yet! Historically, we’ve done these procedures without any form of anxiety relief.

The second reason is that many patients have bad experiences as children and as adults under the care of older and not so perhaps empathetic dentists. I am not going to purport myself as a dentist who has never caused a patient discomfort however based on patient experiences and stories, it appears that patients weren’t cared for in the manner that they deserved to have been cared for i.e. anxiety relief options, gentle operator technique, the use of topical anaesthetic etc.

The third reason is that the thought of someone injecting and drilling your teeth not a pleasant thought, whichever way it’s phrased or how it’s looked at. We as dentists are doing small-scale, almost microscopic scale surgery on highly innervated and sensitive biological units i.e. teeth. This can result in unexpected pain during the procedure if the local anaesthetic isn’t effective and the procedure itself is difficult because of the small size of the mouth and access to the “surgical” site.

However unpleasant, here at Enso Dental in North Perth we acknowledge coming to the dentist isn’t enjoyable. We have gone above and beyond to improve the patient experience and we hope that you think so to. How will you know? By coming out and trying out clinic first….we believe that we’ve created a stress-free, relaxing environment to facilitate good quality dental care in. We believe in the use of sedation for anxiety and local anaesthetic is a must for all procedures likely to cause you discomfort. We have distraction aids to help your mind find something else to concentrate on whilst we provide your dental care.

If you call us on (08) 6382 3399 in by the end of this November and quote this blog, we will give you a complimentary consultation including 3D intra-oral digital scans so you can experience Enso Dental for yourself without any obligation. We cannot possibly extend this offer to everyone so please bear in mind, that this invitation is for the first 10 people who call.

Always thinking about how we can make the experience better for you,

Enso Dental North Perth

P.S. If you have any feedback as to how we can improve your dental visit experience, we’d love to hear about it after your visit. Please email us, call us, text us, Facebook us or whatever to let us know 😊

Enso Dental
Dr. Rahul Reddy