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How to Deal with Your
Fear of the Dentist
by David A. Hall, D.D.S.
Dental fear can become a vicious cycle. You're afraid of the dentist, so you
don't want to go. Therefore, you neglect your teeth, meaning that when you
do need dental care, you need a lot. Also, when you go, it is often after
you have a toothache or other traumatic need. Your mouth hurts because
you've neglected your teeth, and now you have to have a root canal or an
extraction. You're afraid of root canals, so you have the extraction, and an
extraction is the most traumatic dental appointment there is. So you have an
absolutely awful experience, which makes you more afraid and you avoid the
dentist even more. You're stuck in a rut.
Let me help you find the answer to this dilemma. I have an interesting
perspective on this question because not only was I a practicing dentist for
many years with a special interest in treating the anxious patient, but I
was an anxious patient myself with a number of traumatic experiences
receiving treatment in the dental chair.
There are two keys to solving this problem,
and you need both aspects of the solution.
The first is finding the right dentist.
The second key is getting into a habit of routine care. |
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