Aaaa means stop at the dentist - fear of dental treatment has reasons

Sensitive dentist can make patients afraid of dental treatment
Many people are afraid of the dentist. According to the German Society for Dental Treatment Phobia (DGZP), the perception of being seated on the treatment chair and being at the mercy of the situation causes panic among around five million Germans. The unpleasant sounds of the drill do the rest. The news agency "dpa" spoke with dentists about the offers in the practices that exist for particularly anxious patients.

Dentist should be sensitive to the needs of anxiety patients
"Around 70 percent of the population is queasy at the dentist," says dentist Mats Mehrstedt in an interview with the news agency. He advises sufferers to inform their dentist about their fear. If this then reacts with a flippant saying, such as "This is only a small hole", one should ask yourself the question if a more sensitive dentist would not be more suitable. This also applies to the subject of anesthesia. Some dentists tacitly go over it, if a patient also wants to have an injection for a smaller treatment. Mehrstedt advises to claim the anesthesia if you feel better about it. "A patient should make demands on the dentist," said the dentist.

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Mehrstedt reports that until the end of the 1980s, children usually did not receive anesthetic from the dentist. Therefore, there are now many adults who have learned from an early age that the treatment is painful. "In some patients, the fear was also transmitted by the parents, if they have made bad experiences with the dentist," adds Thomas Wolf from the Free Association of German Dentists in an interview with the news agency. Often behind the fear is also the worry about loss of control. "The mouth is an intimate area," says Wolf.

"Aah "interrupts the treatment
Mehrstedt agrees with his patients to be able to interrupt treatment with an "aah" at any time to relieve the patient. "The patient learns to be in control," Mehrstedt explains. The treatment will continue only if it is in order for the patient. In this way every dentist could proceed.

Another variation to take patients the fear is hypnosis, with which Wolf works. "This is an increased, focused attention," he explains. Wolf, a member of the German Society of Dental Hypnosis, asks the patient for a place where he feels especially comfortable. He will then be put into hypnosis using keywords with which the patient has previously described the location. Wolf has the patient introduce himself to this place before going to the dentist's chair. In this form of hypnosis, the will is neither turned off nor is the patient asleep. Rather, the state is like a daydream, in which one relaxes.

Some dentists specialize in anxiety patients
"Fear is more than a queasy feeling, it is an indefinite feeling of anxiety," explains dentist Michael Leu, founder of the DGZP to the news agency. The mere thought of visiting the dentist causes sleepless nights, nausea and panic attacks in anxiety patients.

Those affected can turn to dentists specializing in the treatment of anxiety patients. These should be psychologically trained and not just point out the possibility of general anesthesia. According to Mehrstedt, this is only necessary if a basic restoration of the dentition has to be carried out or if many teeth are to be treated.

"Fear is a learned feeling, through experiences that may not be objectively bad, but which the person affected felt as bad," said Mehrstedt. However, what you have learned can also be unlearned and replaced by positive experiences with a sensitive dentist. (Ag)