It is no secret that many people are very afraid of going to the dentist, the fear of going to the dentist or also known as odontophobia is an anxiety disorder.

This problem causes the person to anticipate the negative consequences of going to visit a dentist, a situation that must be faced quickly.

What do people who suffer from fear of the dentist or odontophobia do? They tend to postpone visits to the dentist over and over again, which can lead to serious oral problems.

According to experts, this phobia is extremely dangerous, because people who suffer from it tend to put aside their oral problems before going to the dentist.

Keep in mind that leaving aside those little discomforts in your mouth can lead to extremely serious health problems.

Oral diseases can undoubtedly affect, above all, all those people who suffer from diabetes, people who have heart problems and pregnant women.

In general, we are talking about all those people who suffer from a fear that even becomes paralyzing during their visit to the dentist, hence the phobia better known as odontophobia.

According to studies revealed this year, it has been discovered that odontophobia occurs in no less than 15% of the world's population, a not insignificant figure.

Fear of the dentist: Types of odontophobia you should know about

How does odontophobia arise? Depending on its origin, there are different types of odontophobia, which are listed below:

Objective Odontophobia

When the fear of the dentist is generated due to a great sensitivity in the mouth, it produces a great accentuated pain at the time of carrying out any type of dental treatment.

Odontophobia transmitted in childhood

This arises when parents with odontophobic origins transmit all this fear to their children while they are growing up.

This is why it is so important to take the little ones to a dental office as soon as possible, so that they become familiar with the environment and do not associate it with traumatic experiences.

Social Odontophobia

When the patient's social environment talks about a visit to the dentist as a painful process, as a consequence we can observe a social fear of going to the dentist's office.

Acquired Odontophobia

Produced by bad experiences when going to a dental clinic with unqualified personnel, when going to the dentist, in addition to odontophobia we can find other more specific phobias.

Among these we have injection phobia, the most prominent, since on many occasions dental treatment requires the administration of intravenous sedation.

At ProDent we believe that the first impression is vital for our patients, since it is at this point that the patient who suffers from fear of the dentist will look for the slightest excuse not to attend.

For this reason we must not create such excuses, and guarantee that the space is totally safe for them and their mouths.

How to overcome fear of the dentist or odontophobia? ProDent Tips

The first dental check-up or consultation is key for the dentist to explain what is going on in your mouth, the dentist in question should explain the treatment to be followed step by step.

The first check-up will guarantee the patient that the treatment is not painful at all, in this phase, the patient will get to know a little more about the dentist who is going to attend him/her.

The patient should see the friendly and close treatment, the fear will dissipate and the patient will gain more confidence; we recommend explaining to the dentist any fear or anguish that is felt.

Schedule your appointment first thing in the morning

To ensure that you can go to the dentist if you are suffering from odontophobia, ProDent recommends that you bring your visit forward as much as possible, and that it should be first thing in the morning.

In this way, you can avoid thinking every day and all day long, "What will happen during my visit to the dentist?

Talk to your dentist upon entering the office

When you go into the office with your ProDent dentist, remind him/her of your anxiety so that he/she can work on it. It would be good to agree on a signal to stop the process in case the fear spreads much further.

Common causes of fear of the dentist Say no to odontophobia with ProDent!

Below, we explain in detail some of the reasons why some ProDent patients are afraid of the dentist and do not go to their visit:

Going to the office and finding a rude dentist, so we recommend going to the first consultation to get to know him and be a little calmer
That the dentist causes them a lot of damage and may even split their lip
The possible transmission of diseases due to poorly sterilized instruments
Fingers being introduced into their mouths, and thus feeling suffocated
Seeing a lot of blood, pain and being mistaken for an injection are some of the most common fears that trigger odontophobia
Many patients are afraid of having their mouths numbed, as they think that the effect will never wear off and they will remain like that forever

In many cases the fear of the dentist usually comes from our parents, when a parent shows his or her child his or her fear of attending a clinic, the child associates and odontophobia appears.

ProDent invites you to be aware that being afraid of the dentist can lead to many diseases and to a greater fear of the complications that can occur.

Why choose dentists in Tijuana ProDent and overcome odontophobia?

Since the birth of ProDent all professional dentists who are part of this clinic, we have been 100% aware of dentistry.

We have proposed to present dentistry in the most humane way possible, in this way we achieve that all our patients who suffer from fear of the dentist, can treat their dental problems.

On the other hand, the telephone attention that our patients receive is focused on offering a warm, friendly and helpful voice, this first impression is vital.

This way we are not giving the patient with odontophobia the slightest excuse not to attend their dental consultation, and our goal as experts in the area is not to give it to them.

Our facilities are adapted to the special attention of our patients, all the details are directed to mitigate that anxiety and provide the patient a better experience.

Now that you know how to change your fear of the dentist or odontophobia, what are you waiting for to make an appointment at ProDent and give a radical change to your smile?

Fear of the dentist? Discover ways to get rid of odontophobia