Dental Anxiety

Do you also suffer from dental anxiety?

The fear of dental treatment is not uncommon: around 70% of the population say that they occasionally dread going to the dentist. One in five patients has a strong fear of going to the dentist and 12 percent even fight against dentophobia, which prevents them from going to the dentist regularly. We can help you overcome this fear.

Most patients know that their fear of the dentist can harm them. Maybe it's been a while since the last visit to the dentist and this knowledge adds to the anxiety.

Patients often notice that they suffer from gum problems, have a hole in their tooth or are annoyed by their teeth that simply no longer want to shine white. Nevertheless, they do not dare to take the first step.

A visit to the dentist is something intimate for us humans and an invasion of privacy.  We understand this and know how heavy this fear is. Nevertheless, we encourage them to rise to this challenge. Here you can find out about the causes and the possible solutions of our site.

Causes of Dental Anxiety

About a third of all anxiety patients treated by us state that they have been traumatized by dental treatments during their childhood or adolescence. Pain suffered during treatment is mentioned just as often as the reckless and insensitive approach of the dentist.

For another fifth of respondents, the phobia is based on frightening stories from other people, such as those of their own parents.

In the other half of the respondents, no cause of dental phobia can be determined. However, the rate of this last group is likely to be significantly higher. Dental phobia is often a primordial fear that is deeply rooted in the subconscious mind and has no rational reasons, similar to the fear of spiders or mice.

Reasons for Dental Anxiety

Often the reasons for dentophobia are not known to the patient and yet in most cases they can be traced back to the following points:

• Fear of pain
• Fear of losing control
• Fear of being at the mercy of others
• Gagging or vomiting during dental treatments
• Drill Bit Noise
• Dentist Smell
• White coats and dental instruments

Consequences of dental anxiety

Some people try to smile little or avoid social contact altogether because of their dental problems. This behavior can end in loneliness or social phobia. Significantly more people suffer from depression among dental phobes than in the general population - most of them as a result of the persistent, untreated pain they experience from affected teeth. Some people take painkillers regularly, risking addiction and damage to their health.

Dr. Nina van Sprundel is the dentist for anxiety patients in Baar, where patients feel safe.

My team and I have been able to gain a lot of experience with anxiety patients and we respond to you with calm and serenity, respecting your fears and needs.

State-of-the-art therapy options enable us to treat your teeth gently and painlessly. Education and transparency create a relationship of trust and provide the framework for good cooperation.

In a first appointment you will get to know us and the practice in Baar. In a joint discussion, we will find out what your wishes and goals are. In most cases, in addition to the detailed doctor-patient discussion, only an initial examination takes place in the first appointment.

It is important to us to lay the foundation for a trusting cooperation between you and our team. After our treatment planning, you determine how much you dare to do in the following treatment appointments. Successful treatment always requires good teamwork between doctor and patient.

«We want you to be able to sit in the treatment chair without fear and go to the dentist regularly and carefree.»

Our measures against dental anxiety

• Get to know each other in detail
• Detailed information before treatment
• No time of suffering in the waiting room. We do everything we can to make the waiting time before your treatment as pleasant as possible with a great view or the magazines
• Painless treatment under precise and computer-aided anesthesia
• Constant information of the treating agent about the next steps. There are no frightening moments for them.
• You have full control over the treatment. You can use a show of hands to let us know that you need a break. We have the necessary time.
• They have our full understanding and compassion. Say if something is wrong.

Anesthesia without squirting: The Wand^®

The Wand^® is a digital system for local anesthesia that does not cause pain. Anesthesia by a syringe is thus obsolete. This type of local anesthetic is often used in patients with a fear of injections. The wand brings the following advantages for you:

• The anesthetic flows ahead of the needle – the surface of the tissue is thus numbed before it is placed on the gums
• The effect of the anesthetic is immediate
• A smaller amount of narcotics is required
• Computer-controlled printing protects the tissue
• The effect wears off more quickly after the treatment
• Due to the local and more precise anesthesia, it is unlikely that lips or cheeks will become numb

What can they do to calm down before the dentist appointment?

Just before you start, you should relax and think back to beautiful memories. If the phobia is advanced, one can try to distract the brain. What happened on your last 5th birthday?

Another way to prepare for a visit to the dentist is to bring headphones and music. Your favorite music can already create a positive feeling on the way to the dentist.

If you want to go further, you can ask your GP or Dr van Sprundel if you can be prescribed a sedative that has an anxiolytic and relaxing effect. These include, but are not limited to, the benzodiazepines diazepam and lorazepam. They combine the effects of a sedative with pain elimination.

Distraction during dental treatment

For the moment you are sitting in the treatment chair, there are useful tips for preparation. For example, headphones can now be put on and the unpleasant noises can be faded out. It is many times better if during the treatment the favorite song is heard, instead of the sound of a drill.

Music during dental treatment not only provides a momentary distraction, but also creates a more positive experience. Combining the memory of the dentist with music instead of the treatment is an important step on the way to alleviating dental anxiety.

If pain does occur during treatment, you should signal this immediately. In this case, anesthesia can be used or the dosage can be adjusted. During the treatment, you should relax and appropriate relaxation exercises should be practiced in advance. By using these exercises, you can completely immerse yourself in your own world during the unpleasant situation in the dentist's chair.

General anesthesia at the dentist

Are you afraid of a lengthy procedure at the dentist? Then let us put you to sleep. Thanks to general anesthesia, you will experience a visit to the dentist's office as if it were a good dream.

Our experienced anesthesia team will accompany you throughout the procedure. In the case of general anesthesia, we check whether you are healthy and fit before the operation.

General anesthesia is usually covered by your health insurance if it is medically necessary. In other cases, you will be responsible for the costs. You will receive a transparent cost plan from us.

Anesthesia with nitrous oxide

Nitrous oxide is an effective and proven alternative to general anesthesia. A mixture of nitrous oxide and oxygen is inhaled through a nasal mask. This treatment has a calming effect and is pain-relieving at the same time. Nevertheless, you remain awake and responsive.

Nitrous oxide is a very effective anesthetic that we can dose individually. After we are done with the treatment, we will provide you with a few minutes of pure oxygen. The nitrous oxide quickly evaporates from your body and its effect decreases.

Nitrous oxide is very well tolerated and can be dosed with pinpoint accuracy. Since it has been shown to be effective in children from a young age, we are happy to use it on our smallest anxiety patients. We will be happy to clarify whether the use of nitrous oxide makes sense.

What happens if you haven't been to the dentist for many years?

Often, the first problems begin after one to 2 years without professional teeth cleaning and prophylaxis. If you skip the regular tooth crown trolls, the first pains can become noticeable after a few years, which are usually caused by caries on the teeth or gingivitis. The periodontium becomes weaker due to bacterial infestation and receding gums (gingivitis) and the teeth lose their grip. In the worst case, this progressive periodontitis can cause individual teeth to fall out.

After 5 years without prophylaxis, soft plaque is usually hardened into tartar and bacteria begin to attack the roots. Here, the tooth substance is already strongly attacked.

After 10 years, the tooth substance is usually severely destroyed, and some of the teeth are already loose in the jawbone. Tooth decay can hardly be stopped and dental prosthesis solutions such as implants may have to be considered for the future.

It is recommended to break the vicious circle early and find a way that makes it possible to go to the dentist again. This is the only way to avoid permanent damage to the teeth.