5 Tips on how to convince patients who are afraid to go to the dentist

Fear of dentists is a very common problem that is not only related to childhood. The situation is so usual that it even has a specific name: odontophobia, the extreme fear of sitting in the dentist's chair that reaches an impressive 15% to 20% of the Brazilian population.

If the fear of going to the dentist causes a lot of inconvenience to patients, for professionals this situation is also quite complicated. But are there ways to offer these people more security and make your office a nicer place? Keep reading this article and learn more!

Why are people afraid of going to the dentist?

If you want to persuade phobia patients to undergo dental treatments, you must first understand the cause - and understand that the dread felt is real, not pretense.

There are many explanations for the situation. Older people, for example, may associate the visit with the dentist with old treatments that were rather uncomfortable, such as the thick needles used for pain-causing anesthetics. With the advancement of technology, this situation no longer happens, but there are still people with this fear.

Another possibility is trauma, mainly caused in childhood, with bad experiences or a lot of pain in some treatment. There are also parents who are afraid of a dentist and end up passing this fear to their children, even without realizing it, especially when they tell stories of pain or discomfort, they have gone through.

Most of the time, the cause of the patient's fear is the unknown. That is, when sitting in the dentist's chair, he no longer has control of the situation and does not know how the procedure will be done, what steps and what to expect in terms of discomfort.

Also important is the sensitivity of the dentist. After all, if you receive a patient in your office who has a very intense picture of phobia and panic, it is best to indicate that the person be evaluated by a psychologist or psychiatrist - which may help to improve the situation and allow the patient undergo dental treatment.

How to reduce the fear of dentist and make patients safer?

As you have seen, dentist panic is common and can happen to both adults and children and is caused by numerous situations. However, you as a professional can help reduce your patients' sense of fear by better equipping your office and preparing to receive those people. Here are these 5 important tips we have separated:

Tip #1: Discuss and explain patient procedures

The unknown, as we said, is the main fear of those who are afraid to go to the dentist. So the franker you are, the better. Talk to the patient about the procedure, detail each step, be honest about the possibility of pain, and clear up any questions the patient may have. If so, show the materials you are going to use, who will join your team, the experience you have performing this type of procedure, and the importance of dental care (for example, avoiding uncomfortable situations in the future and more drastic interventions). This will give the person security.

Tip #2: Invest in Technology

Today the dental market is very different from what it was in past decades. Equipping your office is critical to getting more patients and giving them the peace of mind, they deserve.

If you are attending to people who are afraid of a needle, you can, for example, opt for anesthesia with a device that injects the anesthetic with pressure. Most phobic patients report aversion to the "little engine" noise. So, a good tip is to invest in appliances with electric motors that are much quieter. Another possibility is to abandon traditional molding, which causes discomfort in many people, and replace it with the intraoral scanner, which can capture much more accurate images of the patient's mouth, speeding up the process and making the moment less traumatic.

Technology is also an important ally when it comes to convincing the patient, reducing fear about the outcome, especially in treatments involving the aesthetic issue. After all, it is possible to use images that show a preview of what the patient's mouth will look like after orthodontic treatment or with facets and lenses, for example.

Tip# 3: If Necessary, Offer Conscious Sedation

This is a technique that is being used in high-end offices and may be the missing differential for patients with fear of dentist to opt for their clinic. Conscious sedation is also known as inhaled analgesia and is performed with nitrous oxide (N2O) and oxygen (O2). The method helps to calm and soothe the patient before starting treatment. Along with the analgesia mask, some dentists also offer hypnosis, which can be fast or slow induction and is also performed before dental treatment.

Tip# 4: Create a Pleasant Environment

If you can't afford to invest in cutting-edge technology right now, a good solution is to turn your office into a pleasant environment.

For patients who are terrified of “engine noise”, offer headphones with music that helps them relax, or include a TV in the room and offer the patient headphones to watch series, movies, or other programming that will help them calm down. Some offices go beyond the multimedia kit and offer a massage mat and heated water syringe, helping the patient to relax even more.

Tip# 5: Promote These Facilities

These are all simple but very efficient techniques, but of course they need to be publicized.

Put a page on your site explaining how you work with patients who are afraid of a dentist, the techniques and technologies they use, and how they are used to dealing with this situation, always being careful not to break the dentistry code of ethics. item III of article 44).

Disseminate this information also on your social networks. This way, fearful patients will know that you are a prepared professional and that your office has the proper structure to receive them.

After reading this content, is it easier to convince patients who are afraid of a dentist to treat you?

Source: Cloudia. Available at: https://www.cloudia.com.br/medo-de-dentista/. Access on: 12/03/2019.