Fear of dentist is drilling through
Fear of dentist has got to be one of the most suffered phobias among people. A British study suggested that 4 out of 10 British are afraid of visiting the dentist in one way or another, while an American study claims that it's between 5 out of 10 in their group. That only tells us one thing: Among all phobias and fears, fear of dentist is by far the big winner.
We have mentioned before that fear of clowns and fear of success are very common social phobias and fears. While fear of clowns affect a big majority of children, fear of success rates better among adults. One of the things that fear of dentists and fear of clowns have in common is the way they originate.
These two phobias and fears are caused by a post-traumatic stress disorder. A previous dramatic or painful dentist experience might have been the trigger. Not only would a visit to the dentist cause such phobias and fears, but also the simple narration of a painful dentist event by an acquaintance can produce high levels of anxiety, meaning fear of dentists. Another element that can increase this fear, is the relationship with the dentist. It is not all about the mouth-instrument relationship, it is also a matter of how well the patient relates with their dentist. A calm, caring, understanding dentist will most likely lighten the experience.
Fear of dentists is generated by the invasive interventions like surgery and teeth extractions that the patient undergoes. As a consequence, the sufferer will only seek professional help when the problem has gotten out of control. To heal that issue, again a difficult invasion might be required, only causing an aggravated phobia.
What could be some possible solutions for this irrational fear of dentists?
As in many other phobias (fear of success, fear of clowns, fear of long words), treatment seems to be the most logical answer to handle fear of dentists. Behavior treatment could suggest solutions like: relaxation techniques, which include proper breathing techniques and muscle relaxation, psychological assistance, which deals with memory exercises, mind-based therapy, negative thoughts, imagery and systematic desensitization.
If what the patient fears is contact with needles, then the psychologist will work with relaxation exercises to then move to an approach with the object, explanation of the procedure, and finally a 'do-action', which means actual contact between the phobic and the object.
As we've been writing in other articles, fear of clowns, fear of success, fear of long words and ergophobia, along with fear of dentists are only a few of the many Weird phobias and fears that people have to deal with.
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Weird Phobias - Fear of driving, long words, success, clowns and more
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