Good news for Anxiety Patients

Anxiety patients

Fear of the dentist – a big issue for many people

Dental treatment can be painful, for example when it comes to dentures. And knowing this makes many patients anxious before and during dental treatment. Most overcome this fear. However, in approximately 5-15% of adults, the fear of the dentist is so severe that they avoid the dental office for years and do not seek treatment until they are in massive pain. Then the tooth damage is severe and extensive procedures such as dentures are usually necessary and endured. This increases anxiety and the quality of life also suffers because many anxiety patients are ashamed of their dental condition and therefore do not talk or laugh in public. Extreme avoidance distinguishes normal fear of the dentist from dental phobia. Intense anxiety can manifest itself in psychological symptoms such as a feeling of strangeness towards oneself (depersonalization) or with regard to one’s surroundings (derealization) and be accompanied by physical complaints such as breathing problems, hot flashes and tingling sensations.

How to become an anxiety patient?

A pathological fear of dental treatment can have various causes. Most often it is traumatic experiences at the dentist. However, one can also learn about fear by using a model when others, especially family members, tell about their visit to the dentist’s office. Or you become an anxiety patient through Classical Conditioning. Then, actually harmless things like a white doctor’s coat trigger fear because they were previously perceived at the same time as pain. If there is uncertainty about whether pain will occur, anticipatory anxiety may develop. And uncertainty about the course of treatment can also cause anxiety. In addition, the social aspect of the situation can cause anxiety. For example, some anxiety patients feel at the mercy of the dentist, they fear loss of self-control, or characteristics and behaviors of the dentist cause them anxiety. Dental anxiety may further occur in conjunction with a mental illness such as depression, anxiety disorder, or post-traumatic stress disorder.

How is dental anxiety treated?

Dental anxiety can be treated comparatively quickly and usually successfully. On average, six to ten psychotherapy sessions are required, although there are special therapy methods that successfully address the problem within a session of two to three hours. According to this, about 70% of patients regularly visit a dentist in the medium term and can allow treatments such as dentures to be performed on them. Medications that reduce anxiety and pain, or even measures such as general anesthesia, on the other hand, are only successful in the short term and can only be used as an exception when an anxiety patient needs to receive emergency treatment in the dental office.

Are you an anxiety patient? Then get to know us.

Patients with anxiety are welcome to visit us. We get to know you in the first step, advise you and treat you only after consultation. We show empathy and understanding for all our
patients. Anxiety-relieving medication or anesthetic options are of course also available at
if fears initially seem insurmountable. A popular method of treating our
anxiety patients is nitrous oxide sedation.

We want them to have positive experiences, keep regular check-up appointments to avoid costly treatments. Because lifelong dental health should also be achievable for anxiety patients.