2024-03-30 13:41:18
If very few people like go to their dentist, for some people (adults and children alike), the simple thought of receiving dental care can cause real anxiety, even a panic attack. Nearly one in two people would even be affected in France according to a 2016 Opinion Way survey (source 1): significantly more women (55%) than men (40%), and in particular 25-34 year olds (54%). ).
Why do I have a panic fear of going to the dentist?
This dentist phobia has a name, to stomatophobia, as explained by researcher Ellie Heidari of King’s College London Dental Institutein the magazine The Conversation (source 2). People who suffer from it are ready to delay this medical appointment until the last moment despite dental problems having consequences on their health as well as their social life.
No matter the cause (fear of pain, needles, instruments, etc.) this situation leads to a vicious circle among these people who deprive themselves of this type of care.
Indeed, Professor Ellie Heidari explains that “ when patients put off going to their dentist over a long period, the probability that the care required when they decide to go will be complex (root canal treatment, crown installation, surgical extraction, etc.) increases significantly.” An untreated cavity can, for example, progress to inflammation of the pulp, not to mention that infectious complications on the face can occur at the abscess stage.
MEOPA inhalation sedation: a real plus for calming stress
Thus, “for the patient, this often means spending more time in the dentist’s chair, and risk suffering more following the operation,” underlines the researcher. Another problem is that of caring for the person once installed in the office.
But the article specifies that there are solutions dedicated to these patients, firstly a specific sedation. Some dentists can in fact offer a technique called equimolar mixture of oxygen and nitrous oxide (MEOPA), effective in 3 to 5 minutes and without contraindications. According to the UFSBD (French Union for Oral Health), this is the most reliable and safest technique for obtaining conscious sedation without side effects.
“Placed in altered state of consciousness but without sleeping, patients remain in verbal contact with the healthcare team and their cooperation improves significantly, with a benefit that increases from session to session. Reconciled with dental caresome sometimes no longer even need MEOPA over time,” specifies the organization (source 3).
People suffering from dental phobia can therefore search for firms specializing in this area, which for example offer longer appointment slots. But the latter often have to deal with substantial waiting lists, which can once once more dangerously delay their treatment.
Cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBT) are effective
Another option is to be sent to a hospital to undergo a General anaesthesia.
Hospitals and practitioners alike can also use a completely different technique, cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBT) so that these patients can overcome their phobia. According to the Health Insurance definition, it is “work on behavior and thoughts, opinions and beliefs that we call cognitions. This therapy does not seek the origin of the problems but aims to treat the visible manifestations.”
Going from ten to twenty sessions, it is practiced by doctors (general practitioners or psychiatrists) or psychologists trained in this technique. “A previous study carried out in King’s College of London revealed that this approach was very effective, allowing people suffering from stomatophobia to overcome their fear of going to the dentist and even to receive treatments without sedation,” adds Ellie Heidari.
Improve your oral hygiene to preserve your health
The last area of intervention is based on more in-depth prevention in these patients, with more personalized advice for improve their oral hygiene (brushing technique, smoking cessation, etc.). This improved knowledge should make it possible to promote better oral hygiene to limit the occurrence of other diseases and therefore reduce this associated anxiety. at the dental consultation.
“Any phobia can be difficult to deal with, but when it comes to phobia affecting health and quality of daily life, the effects can be devastating. Managing it not only helps patients who are victims of it today, but also those who might be victims of it tomorrow: in fact, research has demonstrated that there are family predispositions to certain phobias,” concludes. the researcher.
But in the area of prevention, the latest UFSBD survey indicates that the French do not respect all the usual precautions : 49% of them have no not carried out descaling for more than a year and 26% of them do not brush their teeth twice a day (source 4).
Dentist phobia: how to stop being afraid?
A relaxing atmosphere and the proximity of a loved one are sometimes enough to achieve the level of calm sufficient to overcome the fear of the dentist.
According to the OpinionWay study, many patients ask:
Music ;Scented candles;A television on the ceiling;Soft light or an aquarium to forget the pain.
Take a tour of the dental offices in your neighborhood and choose the one whose decoration and atmosphere inspire you the mostto start off on the right foot.
Hypnosis once morest fear of the dentist?
A very effective gentle method for relaxing during dental care is hypnosis. If you are stressed but not phobic, this technique allows you to let you go serenely by closing your eyes and following the dentist’s voice.
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